Crashing the Party
by Twisted Fate MK 2
Summary: Noble Six, left for dead but still alive, gets literally bombed out of one shit storm and into another. And now he has to help some brunette named after a flower fight monsters... Because he has nothing better to do, mostly.
1. Crashing the Party

Noble Six kicked the Elite off him, staggering up and back as the energy blade was pulled from his body and drawing a knife from his shoulder with his right hand, holding his off one in front of him and panting from exertion and pain, blade held parallel to his waist as the Elites circled him, one chortling merrily. The one at the back silver armored and clearly content to watch, barked at him in their language and it seemed cowed at the remark as it stepped forward, igniting an oddly shaped sword of its own, more smoothly curved than normal and glowing a warm orange.

Quietly, he thanked Jorge for the advice on his armor, the extra protection of his bracers and shin-guards having granted him most of his mobility, even after the plasma hit him. Most of his armor was still fresh kit, though at Jorge's urging he'd up-armored the chest, legs and arms. And after Kat's death, he'd up-armored his old helmet as well.

"Demon, the Huragok taught me your… I do not know the term, your usage of words." Six blinked, hard blue eyes widening slightly when it spoke, though his body didn't react outwardly in any way they could detect, "I would use words with you, Demon."

"Why?" He grunted, allowing himself to relax only as much as he needed to to put pressure on his wound, grimacing. "Just kill me and get it over with, Squidhead, if you think you're getting any secrets from me."

The Elite looked confused, barking at his subordinates in turn. To of the three barked in return, and the Zealot shook his head, "I… Do not recognize your term, I fear. I seek no secrets, however. Only to… To use words, as I spoke before."

"Then t- Then use them, Elite." He said quietly, turning his head slightly when the Zealot walked further towards his back, "And tell your purple friend to stay where I can see him, if you want to _use words_ with me."

He raised his off hand at the elite and barked an order again, this one making the Zealot huff and walk back to where he'd been, still uncomfortable but watchable for the Spartan. "Is that better for you, Demon?"

"Much. Now, what do you want, Squidhead?" He asked again, looking a few feet in front of him, where his rifle had fallen and noting the ammo counter. 'Seven rounds… useless, unless a Grunt happens by.'

"You have fought with honor, Demon." The Elite started, lowering his blade so that it ran parallel to his body, "And I would offer you a choice, for your honor. You may end by our blades, or we can leave you here, to die with some semblance of peace. My warriors will avoid the area until the Kig Yar say that you have passed on."

The Spartan almost told him to piss off, almost dover for the rifle right then, if only to take down _one more Elite_ , but… Something broke inside him, when he looked at the Spartans dead around him, and the Elites, and he let the knife drop from his arm, hanging at his side almost limply, "I'd… rather wait it out."

The Elite nodded, barking orders at his warriors and closing the energy blade, the others backing away almost hesitantly, urged on by another bark, "Should you attempt to escape, my marksmen will kill you before you can get anywhere. And should you elude them, you should know that no more of your kind persists against us. You will find nothing." The Elite turned, striding away purposefully, "Farewell, Demon."

The Spartan watched them leave, half-expecting a trap, before he saw the Phantom lift into the air, soaring over him without so much as turning its turrets towards him. Sighing, he walked forward and collapsed, leaning against the raised road behind him and holding his helmet in his hands, letting out a long breath and sliding the armored thing onto his head, the lights behind his visor blinking on as the system registered the reconnection and began the start-up process, starting by kicking his shielding back on and deploying painkillers to the various plasma burns across his body, soothing the pain slightly.

He let his eyes slide closed, slipping into a restful sleep for several hours, content to wait while the suit reactivated and ran the medical protocols.

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Hours passed before the Spartan stirred, straightening and groaning quietly, reach out and picking up the assault rifle, turning and methodically starting to turn the small outpost over, gathering weapons and ammunition out of habit more than anything. Something to do. The Elite had _thought_ his wounds fatal, but the stims and Biofoam would last him for a month if he played his cards right before he needed medical care.

"Noble Six?" He straightened, rifle snapping to reflexively and sinking to a kneel, looking around him for a moment before the voice spoke again, "I am detecting an elevated heart rate, and your suit is registering multiple points of damage. Are you well, Noble Six?"

"Aunty Dot…? No, I am wounded. Plasma, mostly, so it's at least cauterised for the most part. I have a full loadout for my rifle, and a grenade, and no medical supplies. I need somewhere I can go." He paused, picking up the grenade and placing it on his waist, gathering the ammunition and starting to place it in the tac-holders on his chest, only one having been slagged by the plasma thankfully.

"Please specify." The Dumb Ai requested quietly.

"No specification. Sheltered bunkers, UNSC holdouts, anything. A scan of the area would help too, if any of our satellites are still up there." Six ordered quickly, putting the rifle on his back and picking his magnum up from the table next to him, grabbing the extra magazine and putting it on his hip, "Jackals should be watching my position, and I can't move without getting rid of them first."

"Understood, Noble Six." The AI answered, taking several seconds to try and find what he needed, "I am afraid that there are no satellites left in orbit. My own is damaged, and drifting towards a deteriorating orbit in three hours, twenty two minutes and fifteen seconds. I am also failing to detect any signal on any UNSC band in your MJOLNIR's range or receiving. Given the state of Reach, it can be surmised that the Covenant have eliminated any surviving forces already and are glassing the planet."

"They are." Six offered weakly, collapsing as the hope from the moment before left him, turning so that Dot could see using his helmet as a Covenant ship loomed in the sky, purple hull hovering close to a distant mountain range. "Dot, give me something."

The AI was quiet for several long seconds before speaking again, the synthetic voice almost… cautious, "I am detecting a single signal, isolated and not UNSC or Covenant in origin, based on the bandwidth usage and tone."

"Insurrectionists, maybe?" He asked, grimacing slightly. Working with the Innies wasn't a good option, but it was better than staying here waiting to die.

"Negative, Noble Six. I detect no usage of common UNSC or Insurrectionist encryptions. The broadcast is an… open one, it seems. It is likely resistance will be there when you arrive." She said quickly, making Six sigh lightly.

"My helmet is damaged, Dot, I'm missing several key functions for my armor. Notably, radar systems and VISR functionality." He said shortly, checking his rifle absently on instinct. It needed maintenance, badly, at some point soon. "And with my VISR out and no satellites, you can't scan the area and tell me where the Jackals are."

"Negative, However, I do believe that your suit's systems are detecting an oncoming storm. Sandstorms are common during planet glassings, and Jackal equipment is notoriously known to falter in such severe weather." Dot rattled off quickly, in her typical fashion, while Six turned to look at the wall of sand and debris, probably kicked up somewhere by the plasma bombardment. "Also, as a potential fix for your helmet, I would recommend connecting this one to one of the deceased Spartan's around you and using that helmet."

Six sighed, and started looking around for a suitable replacement. He found a HAZ-OP variant fairly quickly, and started working under Dot's direction to get it integrated into his own MJOLNIR. The helmet was green, and his armor was blue, so they didn't exactly match and that did bother him a bit, but he ignored it. He could always repaint later. By the time it finished, and he slid the new helmet on and began adjusting to the different visor shape and weight, the sandstorm rolled in, hitting him hard enough to stagger him slightly and start shifting the corpses around him. After a second's thought, he slid his old helmet on the dead woman's pale face, covering the Spartan from the sand and turning around.

"Dot, waypoint." He said shortly, lifting his rifle and standing to his full height. The waypoint appeared, three kilometers away, and a series of shorter termed ones leading to it along a favorable path. Taking a breath, he started making his way towards it.

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It took a few hours to make any real progress, the land rough and cracked from the bombardment and the fighting before it. The area here had always been a sort of wasteland, but now... Now it looked more the graveyard. A UNSC frigate corpse had landed in it at some point during the fighting, showering the area he was in in debris from the armor melting as it descended. Huge chunks of metal and melted Scorpions and Warthogs littered the ground, making useful enough cover for his movements even if it slowed him down massively. The sandstorm had passed a long time ago, but now the sky was blacked out by the smoke from the smoldering ruins, and Six was mainly forced to use VISR for navigation.

"Dot, any chances of scavenging some ammunition from that downed ship?" Six asked quietly, doing his best to stay silent in spite of the desolated environment. Old habits and all that.

"Very slim, Noble Six." Dot answered after a few seconds, using his VISR to highlight several slagged sections of the ship and overlaying the original schematics over it, "Most of the sections containing armories appear to have been destroyed, and the few that can't be located are likely buried and would require excavation. Time that neither of us has."

He nodded, turning and continuing to walk towards his destination, circling to get to the marker just behind where the ship was. It took him five more minutes of fast walking before he reached the last marker, what looked to be a hole in the ground. Kneeling, he looked down into the shaft, and could just barely make out the ruined remains of a Pelican. "Dot, the signal is coming from down there?"

"Yes, Noble Six. It appears to originate from inside the Pelican, though I would reiterate that it does not match UNSC encryption methods or signal types. Upon further thought, I am unsure as to how your MJOLNIR can even receive its broadcast." After a second, an alert and several red markers appeared on his HUD, "Alert, Noble Six. I am detecting Covenant activity moving in a search pattern."

"Looking for me most likely, I would bet." Six grunted, stepping forward and dropping into the hol, landing beside the Pelican with a grunt and straightening after a second, looking at the Pelican's putting the rifle on his back, before slamming his boot into it and denting it inwards. Reaching in, he used the leverage to force the partially melted and deformed steel open, and he slid inside, sliding to the ground and sighing, holding a hand to his wound with a grimace, "At least they'll probably miss me if I'm in here."

"Indeed, Noble Six. However, I would urge you to look for what is broadcasting the signal. They may trace it themselves and find their way here regardless." Dot advised quickly, making the Spartan nod at the reasoning and stand up, thankful that the Pelican was at least rightside up. It didn't take long to notice the large, silver cylinder at the back of the Pelican, and a quick scan from the AI told him it was what was broadcasting the signal.

"Dot, do you have any idea what this is?" He asked, reaching out a hand and resting it on it. He flinched when the device started audibly humming and glowing, parts of it opening and shifting as the Spartan backpedaled and drew his Magnum, leveling it at the thing and watching it warily, "Dot, analysis, now."

She didn't get to respond as the machine seemed to detonate. To the searching Elites, it looked as if a warhead had gone off. To Six, it looked like a flashbang, followed by the sensation of slamming into a tree, and then the ground, hard enough that he was knocked unconscious.

To team RNJR, it looked like a blue robot had fallen from the sky and crushed a tree. Until Ruby saw the blood on his side and rushed to aid him.

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When Noble Six next opened his eyes, it was to a clear night sky, and with Dot's words in his ears. Holding perfectly still, he could hear people moving around nearby, and spoke to Dot, "Situation report?"

"You were rendered unconscious when you collided with a tree." Dot answered simply and quickly, "Your wounds were tended by the people in this camp, though they had difficulty moving you. We are still close to where you landed, and your weapons are beside you, though I do not think they are hostile. Per protocol, I sealed your MJOLNIR as best I could while you were unconscious."

"Any hostility shown so far from them?"

"Negative, Noble Six. None so far, and they have tried to help you where able." Dot answered quickly, showing a captured image of each of them, "The blonde is named Jaune, surname unknown. The black haired male is named Ren, surname unknown. The ginger haired woman is Nora, surname unknown. The black haired female is named Ruby, surname unknown. No hostilities displayed by any of them, though the two women are armed with a grenade launcher and large caliber rifle respectfully. The blonde carries a sword on his waist, and I have seen no weapon from Ren."

"If it came to it, could I eliminate them?" He asked warily, letting the AI take several seconds to 'think'.

"They are armed, but largely unarmored. The only armor present is the blonde's, and it looks to be based on plate armor, not standard flak armor. Should it come to combat, you should be able to eliminate all targets with minimal risk or asset consumption." Dot explained simply, bringing up the four pictures again, "I would advise eliminate Nora first, followed by Ruby and then Jaune. They are the most well armed, according to data, and pose the only real threat."

"Understood. I am going to initiate contact then, and we'll see what happens. Unlock my armor and inform me when I am ready for full mobility. Administer a stim as well, if any are left." Dot confirmed the command and Six felt the energy of the stim kick in, waiting for a full minute before the AI displayed the message saying he was ready to move.

Rolling, picking up the rifle, sliding the bolt to arm it and taking a kneeling aim at the group all happened in less than four seconds, the four teenagers blinking in surprise when the man moved so quickly, the youngest looking, Ruby, stepping towards him almost shyly, "Sir, are you alright? You, um, you hit your head kind of hard, and we dragged you here to try and help, but… We couldn't get your armor off and… Could you put the gun down, please?"

"Not until I identify you as threats or non threats." He said sharply, taking his left arm off his rifle to retrieve his Magnum and place it on his thigh, "Identify yourselves and your allegiances. Immediately, or I will fire."

"D-Don't do that, okay?" Ruby said quickly, waving her hands in front of her in a way that he knew was to try and ward off the violence, "My name is Ruby, okay? Ruby Rose, and my, uh, allegiance would be to Vale, I guess. Or maybe Remnant? I dunno what you mean by that, so I-"

"What organized government do you recognize and stand for." He clarified sharply, easing off the trigger slightly but keeping the weapon trained on the girl.

"Vale, then!" She said quickly, "Definitely Vale, or Beacon, but Beacon is kind of… not a thing right now."

"And you three?" He asked, turning his head to look at the trio on the other side of the fire, his VISR highlighting the blonde's hand on his sword. He shifted his aim to him, pressing the stock against his shoulder, "Hand away from the weapon."

The boy took his hand away, raising the armored hand with the palm open, "Sure, you just startled us. No harm, no foul, and my name is Jaune Arc. Same allegiance as Ruby, I guess. The girl is Nora Valkyrie and this is Lie Ren." He explained, gesturing with the hand at the two next to him, "We're Huntsman, okay? So could you-"

"What is a Huntsman?" Six interrupted, standing to his full height, and blinking when he realized the blonde was almost up to his neck in height, easily close enough to be a Spartan trainee or early in his augmentation phase. He'd heard that newer models of Spartans would be shorter due to the loss of life the Augmentation process could cause. 'They're incredibly tall.. Augmentations, maybe? If we're on Reach, it could be a classified Spartan program still in the researching phase, and these are survivors from that...' "Are you Spartans?"

"What, like…. From the movies?" The ginger asked quietly, making a confused gesture with her hands at him.

"Movies?" He asked in confusion, actually lowering the rifle slightly in surprise, "What are you talking about? Spartans are highly classified, there aren't any… _movies_ about us."

"What?" Ruby asked, drawing his attention back to her, "Okay, look, I… Guess you hit your head. Huntsman hunt the Creatures of Grimm." She said simply, smiling at him and placing a hand on her chest indicatively, "I am one, and so are my friends. We're heroes, or we try to be, and we protect people."

He tilted his head using his chin to hit the mute button on his helmet and looking up, "Dot, can you run a constellation recognition on this sky?"

"Negative. I have been disconnected from my sattelite, we are too far from it for me to receive or send signals. However, that would mean we are likely no longer on Reach." The Ai said, making the Spartan swallow nervously. "Your pulse is rising, Noble Six."

Turning back to the 'Huntsman' Six unmuted his helmet's speakers, "Do you have any idea on how I can contact the United Nations Space Command's Office of Naval Intelligence?"

The four looked at each other, Jaune shaking his head at Ruby before she spoke, "Uh, no? We don't know those names… Are you, like, in the military? Maybe from Atlas or something?"

Noble Six finally lowered his rifle completely, latting his arms droop in front of him. He looked up to the unfamiliar sky, staring at a shattered moon, and for the first time in years… Laughed, brightly and loudly.

After a second of it, Ruby leaned towards Jaune, "I think he might have hit his head really hard, Jaune…"

"Yeah, Ruby… Definitely." Jaune answered, watching the man plop onto the ground and let out a breath.

"Wonder what protocol there is for this…" He mumbled, looking at them with a glint of firelight bouncing off his silver visor, "You say you help people? Right? Defend the innocent, fight the monsters threatening them, and so on?"

"Uh, yeah?" Nora said quietly after a second.

The 'Spartan' nodded a couple times before leaning back against a rock by the fire with his rifle leaning on his shoulder, "Then I'll help you, until I figure something out."

"You'll… help us?" Jaune asked quietly, unsure of what he meant, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I will help you fight these 'Creatures of Grimm' and protect people." The Spartan shrugged lightly, leaning his head back and looking to the stars, "You helped me, after all, so I will help you."

"Uh… Okay." Ruby said quietly, easing into a sitting position at the same time the others did, "Well, uh, I guess I'll take first watch while you guys-"

"I'll take watch for the night." The blue armored man interrupted, turning his visor to them once again, "I don't need as much rest as you do, and my suit has a built in radar system for picking up movement."

"No, you need to rest." Jaune argued, eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion, "Ruby always takes first, then I take second, and Ren and Nora take third." The Spartan shrugged, closing his eyes behind his helmet, and Jaune sighed, "Let's get some rest guys."

"Yeah…" Ruby muttered, standing up and sitting on a log lying behind her, Crescent Rose in her hands.

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 **Armor Configuration - Noble Six**

 **Helmet - HAZ-OP helmet system, with integrated communications module and deployable thermal goggles, for combat and other assorted uses.**

 **Chest - Up-Armored Tactical Chest Piece, with additional protection for the lower chest offered along with multiple magazine slots for rapid reloading. One on the lower left side has been melted away by a plasma blade.**

 **Legs - Gungnir up armor modules, with a hard case on his legs for additional storage.**

 **Arms - Basic up-armoring bracers**

 **Colors - Main color Dark Blue, secondary black.**

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright?**_


	2. Treatment Failed

_**Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers, or head to Youtube and search for the same. I am Fluffy there. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright?**_

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 **Rebounder 1904:**

 **Twisted ~ It will follow the story until/unless I find a situation in which a Spart would change the ouctome, i.e. an actual fight or anything Spartan training and equipment would help in.**

 **Top Hat:**

 **Twisted ~ According to the Halo and RWBY Wikis respectively, Noble Six is six feet nine inches, and Jaune Arc is six feet one inches. I thought the latter was a couple inches taller than he is, and made a minor mistake. I will have it corrected prior to this update, thanks for the point out.**

 **The classified bit was a misstep but only slightly. While they were technically classified as far as I know, they were still well known. Enough that Marines and ODSTs could gossip about them, but still far from what would be appropriate for people to make movies on. If I am mistaken, I will simply treat it as Six being out of touch.**

 **Not a chest stab. Lower abdomen. Mild correction, that, with its own issues. Kind of a lucky stab sort of thing, but you are right. I will address it soon. Thanks again.**

 **And I would be more than happy to give you access to the Doc for edits and lore checks if you wish, just toss me your G-Mail (or equivalent) and I'll do so.**

 **Guest-0001:**

 **Twisted ~ Read the above, guest. I also edited the chapter, so Jaune is the only one mentioned, as he is the tallest.**

 _ **Review Response Note:**_

 **I always do these, the length depending on Review. I try to respond to all but the 'Good work' ones and similar. Apologies if this offends, it's just my style. ANs after this one will always be at the bottom of the chapter, after the Supporter section and Review Responses.**

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"Uh, sir?" Six turned, looking down at Ruby as the others packed up camp and he stood, watching for threats warily with his rifle in his hands. She was holding a small box, and bit her lip nervously in what Six supposed a Marine might find cute. "Your, uh, side. You're hurt, and it looks bad, and I have medicine and I don't want you hurting, so I-"

"Plasmas sword impalement." Six cut her off, turning slightly in respect, "Missed my vital organs, and is cauterised. A disinfectant and a bandage would serve the purpose, the injectors won't last forever."

"Um, okay. I don't know what a plasma sword is, but…" She held up the box to him, "Do you want me to bandage it? I'm not very good, but I have basic first aid training. Unless you'd prefer to do it yourself, I mean."

He almost refused, falling back to old habits, when he heard Carter's voice echo in his head, " _That Lone Wolf stuff stays behind you."_ Chuckling quietly, which thoroughly confused the poor girl, he stepped past her and sat on a rock, laying the rifle against it with the business end resting in the dirt and his hand on the butt of the gun, "If you wish to do it, by all means. It is good practice, after all, and my armor will prevent any complications."

"Uh, okay?" She half-said, half asked, setting the box down and fishing out a small, spraying bottle with a brown label on the front labeled 'Emergency Disinfectant' and smaller words he didn't care to read, and a bandage roll. "This should take care of it, and let your Aura hel the rest."

He muted his speakers and lifted his left arm while she worked, choosing to address Dot while she bandaged his side with a pursed lip, "Dot, do you have access to your satellite?"

"Negative, Noble Six. I have been disconnected with the main server for my systems since the explosion. I am currently running on your MJOLNIR's suit's power supply and using what information I have stored on it. Should you wish for me to have more robust information reserves, I will need a server base."

"Damn." He un-muted his speakers and looked down at the girl, finishing up wrapping the bandage around his torso in a way that wouldn't tear if he turned in his armor, "I don't have 'Aura', Ruby. I never have in my life, and likely can't."

"Oh…" She said, sounding sad for a second before shaking her head and smiling brightly like many medics he'd seen do for dying and wounded soldiers, "Well, you'll be fine anyways. I'm sure of it, the stab doesn't look that bad."

He nodded, standing up after she finished packing up the supplies and hefting his rifle effortlessly, watching them all hoist their packs on their backs while he didn't have one, "Do you have an extra pack? I can carry one as well."

"You're hurt, nameless blue stranger~!" Nora said brightly, shrugging like that explained everything and starting to walk. He looked to the others who all shrugged or shook their heads as well, and then followed behind them, head on a swivel and eyes on his radar for anything bigger than a squirrel. "When are you going to introduce yourself? Or do we need to point guns at you~?"

He almost laughed, shaking his head instead and following behind them, "My designation is Spartan B312, code name Noble Six." He said simply, Ruby and Nora both giving him an odd look, turning and raising their eyebrows at him, "What? That's what I was ordered to go by."

"But what's your actual _name_?" Jaune asked, turning his head slightly to look at him from the corner of his eye, "Not, like, a code phrase or anything, your real name? The one your mother gave you."

"I don't have one." He said simply, the four stopping in the middle of the path and turning to give him strange looks.

"It would appear you have confused them, Noble Six." Dot helpfully supplied, annoying the Spartan slightly.

"How do you not have a real name?" Ruby asked quietly, confusion as clear in her voice as it was on her face, "Everyone has a name, how do you not have one?"

"I don't need one." He dismissed simply, shrugging lightly and striding past them, "I go by Six, usually, or Spartan. Either works, since I really don't think you'll see any other Spartans on this planet. There were never very many of us, and now..."

"'And now' what?" Jaune asked, falling in step beside him, a hand resting on his sword's pommel at his waist and looking at the Spartan, "What do you mean? Did something happen?"

"Classified. Mostly, anyways. Most of the Spartans I know of are dead now." Six shrugged lightly, sighing audibly when the blonde merely raised an eyebrow, "Killed in Action, unofficially at least. They died defending Reach, our home…"

"The Grimm." Ren muttered, not a question but a statement. A wrong one, but that was a correction the Spartan elected not to make, instead letting it hang. Not a lie, not the truth. It was his assumption to make, really, "And you were orphaned young, so you have forgotten your name…"

"I was… adopted, I suppose. All the Spartans were. By a scientist, who asked us for help. We agreed to it, and she made us stronger and faster than a normal soldier could ever be." He sighed almost wistfully, if a four-or-so ton killing machine could do anything _wistfully_ , "Three hundred of us, and for all I know I am the last on this planet…"

"A last remnant on Remnant?" Ruby started quietly after a second, giggling behind him for a few seconds before Nora joined him, followed by Jaune quickly. Only the Spartan and Ren remained quiet as they walked on, until the others calmed, "I… am sorry, though. You lost… three hundred people close to you? Were they… actually family, or…?"

"They were my brothers and sisters." Six said simply, reaching up to tap his helmet, "Each one bled with the others and for the others, and died doing their duty." ' _I should have died doing it as well…'_ "Some are alive, I think, and probably still fighting. Just like me."

They were quiet for a long time, walking through the woods, Six in the lead now while Jaune looked at a map and talked quietly with Ruby. Six grimaced when he spotted a small town down the road, the buildings marred with burns, gouges and blood, and raised his rifle, sinking into an easy half-crouch, stopping in the path and turning his head, "Alert."

They all looked up at once, stepping past Six in apparent horror, and he sighed when they stepped into his firing line thoughtlessly. Then he growled in outright agitation when the group took off, into the village, and Jaune dropped the map as he went. Six plucked it from the air easily, folding it easily and sliding it into the hardcase at his leg before standing fully and fast walking into the village.

He could see them arguing, Nora leaning over a man leaning against a small wall in the center of what looked like a road. The Spartan stopped at the gate, stepping through and snapping his rifle left and right, looking for the slightest hint of ambush, before he walked slowly into the road, head constantly turning as he approached the group's back, kneeling when he stood behind Ruby, the hem of her skirt just barely under the bulk of his shoulder, "Report."

She 'eeped', turning to look at the kneeling soldier for a second before she understood what he wanted, "Oh, um, we found a Hunstman. He's hurt really badly, though, so… I don't know how to help him, none of us do. We're going to make a litter and carry him, hope he makes it."

Standing, the Spartan put the rifle on his back and drew his Magnum, stepping past the girl and kneeling on the man's other side, Nora looking up at him with clear concern. The man looked up at him, clearly exhausted and almost gone, and the Spartan reached down and cupped his chin, "What happened here, sir? Are there still hostiles in the area?" He looked down at the wound, the stab obviously human inflicted to him. A sharp, thin blade, probably a sword. "Who stabbed you?"

The man tried to speak, only managing a slight grunt and groan, and Ruby slapped him on his helmet, surprising the Spartan, "He is hurt, Six! He needs help, not… not an interrogation!"

"I was trying to make sure it was safe, so we could _treat_ him, Ruby." Six grunted, shaking his head lightly and sighing, "Nora, dig in your pack and get a pillow and some blankets. Ruby, I need your first aid kit. Jaune, Ren, overwatch with Nora, I'll need Ruby to assist with the treatment." Six looked up, gauging the time as best he could with the sun on the foreign planet, "If it looks like it will be dark within three hours, then-"

"Six…" Nora muttered, making the Spartan turn to look at her, and then the man below them, "He's…"

"Dead." Six confirmed dryly, leaning back from the body and shaking his head before standing, "Bled to death. Nothing we could have done, even if we'd known we couldn't have done anything for him without fresh blood packs matching his BT."

"How can you possibly know that?" Jaune demanded hotly, stepping closer to him with his hand on his sword, "We could have stabilised him and gotten him to Mistral!"

Six leaned down, pressing his visor close to the blonde, and spoke lowly, "If we'd gotten here three hours ago, I could have field dressed his wounds and we could have carried him, he would have survived for one day. Will we reach Mistral at the speed we can move while carrying and tending to a wounded, dying man?" The blonde hesitated and Six leaned back, stepping past him and replacing the Magnum on his thigh, "Even then, he would have almost certainly died in the hospital there, for the same reasons. As for how I know this…" He turned to them again, shrugging slightly, "I have watched plenty of soldiers bleed out, I have the timing down to a sense. It's… something you get used to."

Retrieving the map, he handed it to Ruby and she took it, though she did so with an uncomfortable look, "We have to bury him first."

Six almost argued, almost told them that there were probably dozens of corpses around them under rubble or behind things or in buildings. Almost left them too, heading out on his own and following the path until he found someone who could direct him to somewhere that would help him contact HighCom. But he sighed instead and nodded, turning and walking towards a sturdy looking tower, "There may be enemies out there, I'll get up high and give you cover while you do it. If I say to run, do so, I'll cover your retreat and follow."

"Okay, Six…" Ruby said quietly, almost defeatedly, making Six pause. He considered saying something, but chose against it after a moment. There was no reason to try and make the girl feel better. She'd be fine anyways, in a day or two, or she wouldn't. Neither outcome was his business.

An hour later, Six looked down at Ruby waving up at him, gesturing for him to come down, and he nodded. Stepping from the top of the three story tower, he heard several yells of alarm before he slammed into the paved ground, sinking to a knee heavily before rising easily and adjusting his rifle, looking at them for a second before asking, "Are we prepared to move?"

"Uh, yeah… We should have a few more hours of daylight, so we want to get as far as we can." Jaune said slowly, looking at him for a second before turning and leading them down the path. Six waited for them to head out, taking the rear position once again, head swivelling as they walked in constant watch.

Ren slowed, walking next to Six for several seconds before speaking, "Where do you come from, exactly? You told us some of your story, but not where the story happened, and we're all curious about it, I'm sure."

"Nowhere any of you would recognize." Six evaded simply, eyes narrowing behind his helmet, "I don't see why it matters, really."

"It matters because people we barely know have already killed-" Jaune paused, almost flinching, and Six understood before he even continued. "Already taken two of our friends, because… Because we just let them in, didn't question them. We won't let it happen again."

Six was quiet for several moments before he spoke again, "My home is a place called Reach, my adopted mother a scientist named Catherine Halsey. My teammates were named Jorge, Kat, Carter, Jun and Emile, and all of them died in front of me, one after another. Some died protecting me, or because of me. Others…" he thought of Kat, and the Elite in the Phantom, "Others because of bad luck. I almost died as well, in the end." He turned to Ren, voice hard and gestured at the woods around them with his off hand, "Then I woke up in your camp, here." Left unsaid was that it was off the planet, of course, but he had a teasing feeling that idea would never cross their minds. "I understand suspicion, but I can do nothing about it right now. Best to keep moving on."

No one responded, and the rest of the day passed in relative silence, though Six noted that all except Ruby were tense, likely because of him. He resigned himself to it. Spartans faced that enough, and he was no different.

They'd learn, after the first fight. Everyone always did appreciate a Spartan after the first time they saw them in a fight.

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That night, they were sitting at the campfire quietly, Six sitting cross-legged on one side while the others sat clustered together on the other. A pot hung on a metal tripod, and Ren was leaning over it, cooking their meal for the night, when Six elected to gather some information at Dot's insistence, "Who did you lose?"

Jaune was the first to answer, after several seconds of silence, "My… My partner, Pyrrha. She was killed fighting the one that destroyed our Academy, trying to… Do something, I don't know."

"My sister lost her arm, and my friend, Penny, was killed by someone named Emerald…" Ruby looked incredibly sad for a moment, smiling forlornly at him, "She pretended to be my friend, and I thought she liked me… But she killed her anyways… And I feel like… I don't know, like I failed to see it coming, because she was my friend."

"She was an infiltrator, like I used to be, once upon a time." Six dismissed readily, shrugging when she looked at him in surprise, "She was trained to do what she did, Ruby. You are in no way at fault for it, I doubt you were ever trained to see that manner of attack coming."

"He's right." Ren agreed, stirring the food and turning to look at her, "I didn't notice it either, am I at fault for Penny's death? Jaune didn't either, or Nora, or anyone else. Even Beacon's staff seem to have failed to see her as what she was."

"No one did." Nora agreed, reaching over to hold Ruby's hand. Six flexed his own twice in thought, looking at the sign of affection, before he turned his visor to the fire, "You lost your team too, Six. Are you okay?"

"Yes." He said immediately, staring at the fire and refusing to meet her eyes, "I am, and they were, soldiers. Fighting is what we do, and dying is what happens when you fight."

"That doesn't mean you're okay though." Ruby argued, the Spartan turning his visor towards her. She smiled slightly at him, "It's okay not to be okay with that, you know?"

He turned away, standing in one fluid motion and hefting his rifle, "No, it is not. Not for a Spartan, at least. Ours is not to question why, ours is but to do and die."

"I thought the saying was do _or_ die?" Jaune muttered from behind him.

"Not for a Spartan." He said shortly, thinking about Jorge and walking away, "I'm going to do a patrol around the perimeter, don't wait up for me. I'll be back in a few hours."

"I think we made him mad." Nora quipped, sighing tiredly and flopping onto the ground.

"I think he's just hurting inside, and I don't think his 'mother' was a very good one." Ren offered, shaking his head and checking the food, "The stew is done."

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Six kept walking through the forest for several hours, eyes roving the forest around the campsite as he patrolled, mind lost in memories of Noble Team, trying to school his emotions and bring them under his power again, "Your heart rate is elevating and I am detecting indicators of high stress, Noble Six. Are you well?"

"I'm fine, Dot." He snapped quietly, shaking his head as though it would dislodge the AI.

"I am detecting multiple factors that would lead me to believe that to not be the case. I recommend that you-"

"Dot, stop talking until tomorrow. That's an order." The AI fell dutifully silent and Six nodded, continuing his plodding through the forest, and trying to forget Reach and Noble. He looked to the stars, standing in a very small clearing, and grunted.

Not a single constellation he recognized…

Just that shattered moon.

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 **Twisted ~ So, does this count as angst? I think it might. Eh. Apologies. I have to give RNJR and Six things to bond over short-term, so they want to stick together, and this makes sense. At least to me.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading, please consider leaving a Review and visiting my Youtube channel, the Temple Walkers. We are shortly going to have our rented studio back, and will be building our own shortly after that. Let us know what you want to see, and let me know what you want to read!**


	3. On the Mend, More or Less

_**Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright?**_

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 **Senseless grinder:**

 **Twisted ~ A valid rule of thumb, I just encourage people to comment with any thoughts, as I like to communicate with my readers wherever possible. I do the same in my YT channel.**

 **Anonmouse:**

 **Twisted ~ I am glad to have intrigued you, and I hope not to disappoint.**

 **Killjoy:**

 **Twisted ~ Yes. Qrow will be around, I rarely get to include him in my stories, so I am excited to make use of both him and maybe Raven, maybe explore them a bit.**

 **Shipping Guest:**

 **Twisted ~ Eh, I dunno if I feel that ship. Six is probably too old by a margin for Ruby. I dunno, I'll see if it evolves that way, but as of now I kind of don't see it.**

 **Dekuton:**

 **Twisted ~ Honestly, I am taking a few liberties with Six's knowledge of things, given what I think his position and clearance level may have been. Some of what he says are outright lies in his discussions with RNJR. Dunno how much that helps clear things up.**

 **Agastopia:**

 **Twisted ~ It's Remnant. Weird shit happens.**

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The next few days were… odd, for Six. He was more than used to the deaths of soldiers and civilians alike in conflict, so while he would gladly protect these kinds of people he wasn't the type to dwell on it. He was a Spartan, not a miracle worker, and no amount of covering fire, support or even intervention in fights would save every man, woman and child. Better, in his mind at the least, to accept the nature of war, and try to destroy the attacking forces rather than defend those being attacked directly.

The best defense of the helpless in a war, to most Spartans of his class and he was certainly no exception, was to simply destroy the ones attacking them. That way, they would be able to escape with their lives, at least for the most part. That was always Six's objective. Destroy the enemy and hold the line, while everyone who needs to be is extracted safely.

Marines and ODSTs who died in the line were, to them, merely those who had done their duty. The same was said for Spartans, at least by Six. Success didn't mean _surviving_ necessarily. I just meant not dying before you did the job. Getting home was less important, on the whole and by and large, than that.

But the teenagers around him weren't Spartans, he'd figured out that his initial thoughts had been entirely off base there fairly quickly. They weren't even real soldiers, or 'Huntsmen', as they said that their elite fighters were. Or so Six felt was the case. They were trainees, cadets essentially, who hadn't even graduated from basic training, so to speak, much less more rigorous training programs.

He'd noted that Ren and Nora, while clearly distraught at the loss of a village in its entirety and the death of the man, had largely recovered. All that was left was a slightly foul mood, one that even a good number if Spartans had that after a city or a planet fell. Ruby and Jaune, however, had taken it far worse, their shoulders slumped and eyes cloudy.

They needed someone to talk to them, he could tell that much at the very least.

But he remembered all of the forced appointments with the head doctors and ONI specialists. He'd hated them for making him talk about what he didn't wish to. So, for the few days of mostly grim silence, Six simply didn't know what to do, other than wait and see.

Eventually, while he was standing next to a tree on a small incline near the edge of the moderately sized clearing the others were setting up in, Ruby came to him, medical kit in hand and smiling almost shyly.

"I, um, was wondering if you would let me change out your bandages? It's been a few days, so they probably need it." He nodded, sitting on the ground and setting his rifle to the side while the young girl undid the bandages, and he stole a glance at his wound. It was red, angry, and slightly ragged, scabbed over in a way that told him it was healing as it should, and the skin around it was bruised, likely from the vessels that had burst from the heat, which was normal. Ruby grimaced for a second, looking up at him, "That looks like it hurts… I have pain medication that might help, if you want?"

He thought for a few seconds before shaking his head and turning away, reclining his head slightly, "I don't feel it, for the most part. Damaged nerves from the plasma's heat, and numbed pain receptors from my augmentations." Close enough to the full truth, without revealing much, and enough to hopefully calm the girl's worry, "I am alright, Ruby. Thank you for the concern, though."

"What's plasma?" She asked after a second, her arms pulling the fresh bandage around his lower stomach, disinfectant layered into the underside of the specialised cloth, "It sounds… bad, given the damage it did to you."

"Plasma is…" He paused, tilting his head to the side and thinking, wishing beyond anything that Dot still had her archives, "Think of what would happen if you superheated water in a water gun or hose, what that would do to something or someone, and you have an idea. Except it's energy, so it flies further and hits with a little more force." He gestured at the wound, "My armor mitigated a lot of the damage, honestly. On a normal Mar- soldier, it would have probably killed him outright."

"That's… horrible. Why would anyone make something like that?" The second sentence was quieter, almost a whisper, but Six elected to answer it anyways and lifted his rifle.

"This is the MA37 standard issue UNSC Assault Rifle, which fires M118 7.62 millimeter full metal jacket rounds, designed to be used in close quarters engagements." He held the rifle up to her, turning his head so that her face reflected in his visor, mouth open slightly in confusion and what looked to be slight excitement, "It's entire design intent is to pierce standard and common forms of armor that Humans wear to kill them efficiently. Or is your rifle a dart gun?"

"No, it's… a sniper rifle that fires concussive rounds, but it can… I can chamber in specialised ammunition as well." She shrugged, resting a hand on it and looking at the ground, shrinking into herself slightly for a second before looking at him. "B-But I designed it to kill _Grimm_ , not people!"

"And if you shot a normal civilian with it?" He asked, and she shrank again, making him sigh. He was incredibly _not_ trained for dealing with civilian children, "The weapon's intent isn't all that matters, Ruby. My armor uses plasma for its shield systems, that protect me from harm. Plasma is also a major energy source, potentially. So don't stress over it. Use your rifle as I use my plasma, and don't worry about how others use the technology."

She smiled at him, and he relaxed, "That makes sense. Thanks, Six." He nodded, watching her pack up the medical kit again in silence, more passively observing than really looking for anything in particular, and she spoke up again, "So, uh, why is your helmet a different color from your armor?"

"Mine was damaged beyond my ability to repair, and enough to compromise armor function." He said simply, shrugging, "So I appropriated this one, rather than hang on to my non functioning one or going without."

"Oh." She said, clearly slightly dissatisfied by the admittedly rather lackluster story, standing up with the kit and patting her skirt, knocking the dust off, "Well, um, we should be starting dinner in a few minutes, if you're hungry."

He nodded, shouldering the rifle comfortably and watching the small girl walk away. His gaze shifted to the small group with an odd… Familiarity, of a sort. They were a team, but not his, yet he felt the closeness, saw it there. He was no part of it, but he felt it all the same. Nora saw him looking at them, forcing a smile and waving at him happily, and he nodded politely in return, a decision made.

He'd protect them. Protect _this_. Atone for Noble, and Reach. Even if he wasn't quite sure what motivated the decision, at the end of the line of thought. Were someone to ask him, he'd only have been able to say it felt like it made sense. It of course didn't, really, as he had no rationale or reason to base his decision on. Merely an almost instinct, though not quite.

Muting his speaker system, he spoke quietly, "Dot, have you finished running the numbers on us being on an unknown Human colony that doesn't even know what Reach is?"

"Yes, Noble Six." The AI said immediately, her synthetic tone almost apologetic, "The odds are low enough that I would present as fact that this world is not one colonised by any ship from Earth or her colonies since the founding of Reach. Equally as impossible as every scenario I can come to."

"And given the technology they had, and the presence of these 'Grimm' whatever they may be, I would think it's safe to say we are at least somewhere very, very far away from UNSC space." Six said quietly, shaking his head almost tiredly, "Chance they are descended from one of the earlier sublight colony ships sent out shortly after the UNSC was formalised, and they backslid technologically and forgot?"

"Slim to none. The ships and satellite systems that would have been installed during colonization are nonexistent in any skyscape that you have viewed in the last nine days. The prospect of them forgetting their past is moderately likely, but he idea that the systems and colonial structures would be seemingly nonexistent is…"

"Impossibly low." Six agreed, sighing and nodding, "And I don't even have a full kit… God damn it, the universe has to hate me for something. Maybe all of the espionage and assassination jobs I had to do?"

"I do not think that the universe is sentient, or that it would-"

"Dot, catalogue the word 'joke' when you have a chance." Six interrupted with a chuckle, standing fluidly and placing the rifle of his back, moving to join the others at the fire.

"The map showed a small town that we should hit tomorrow, so we can have someone stitch up your side when we get there, Six." Ren said quietly, looking at the man's bandage.

"I could also use a weapon that I can more reliably find ammunition for as well." Six said with a nod, grimacing slightly at the idea. He had a lot of affection for the standard UNSC weapon and didn't like the idea of having to replace them on a permanent basis.

"That should be an easy enough thing to find." Jaune said simply before digging into his meal, along with the others. Six blinked in surprise when Nora practically shoved a bowl against his leg, glaring at him until he took it and rose, returning to his tree to eat, around it and out of sight.

He wasn't quite ready to show them his face yet, he'd never even really shown Noble. After they ate, the group went to bed. Six relaxed against the tree, and when Jaune stood and walked away, he almost followed. Almost.

But it wasn't his place.

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 **Twisted ~ As always, hope you enjoyed the update, and I'd love some input. If you want more updates, more often, and of specific stories you want, go to Youtube and look up The Temple Walkers. From there, you can support us with donations, and request stories and videos alike.**

 **Also, thanks to a new member of my little crew, so to speak, T0PH4T for agreeing to help me keep Six in line with Halo canon, and do basic edits. I appreciate it incredibly whenever people who like what I am doing help me this way.**


	4. The First Skirmish

**Twisted ~ Quick Note: My Internet was down for five days, apologies for the delays. I couldn't afford to pay it for a small time. Sorry.**

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright?**_

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 **Gizmo Gear:**

 **Twisted ~ I do indeed intend on continuing this, and I am quite glad for your enjoying it. Hope you continue to enjoy it moving forward!**

 **Killjoy:**

 **Twisted ~ To be honest, I… hadn't considered it. Everyone, drop thoughts on this topic. Should I introduce maybe Jorge? Or another Spartan who died in a similar way? I mean, I could see it, but I would like thoughts. I can think of a few Spartans who went out with a bang, so to speak…. Oh! Maybe Johnson? I mean, I'd have to imply that he got medical attention right away, but still. Could do.**

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Six kept his distance, watching Nora console Ren in the small village for a few minutes, the man leaning his head on hers, and turned to Ruby. "Are they intimate? I hadn't realized."

"W-What?" She looked at them from her position sitting on a rock next to Jaune, leaning against a building while she, Jaune and Six waited out the time they'd given Nora and Ren to cope, the Spartan standing beside them with his rifle, always watching. "I dunno, maybe, I guess? I don't really, you know, think about all… that. Are they, Jaune?"

"No, they're just… Close. They've been relying on each other just to get by for a very, very long time." He shrugged, turning to look up at the Spartan, "You'd know more about surviving out in the wilds with a few people, I would bet."

The Spartan only nodded, immediately remember Operation Nightfall, with Jun. He'd been surviving just fine before that of course, on his own, typically behind enemy lines and with little support… He'd enjoyed working in a unit again, with backup, people who wouldn't just leave him to die 'for the UNSC' if things got hard or he was unable to complete the mission.

Changing gears, the Spartan looked around them, muting his helmet's speakers once again, "Dot, you getting all of this?"

"I am cataloguing all apparent damage for future examination, Noble Six." The AI responded helpfully, always in its bright voice, always helpful. Six was curious for a moment if she was forced to be this way, and felt the slightest bit of pity.

"Make notes of any kind of damage for comparison if we encounter any of these 'Grimm' they keep referring to." Six ordered quietly, adjusting his grip on his rifle in thought, "Also, odds of a functioning weapon after as long as this village appears to have been abandoned?"

"Very slim, Noble Six. Though I am unfamiliar with the state of firearms technology on whatever planet we are on, I find it highly unlikely that any functioning weapons would still be here." Dot said clinically, Six nodding slightly as she spoke, ""It is also likely that, whatever this attack was, the people here would have used them to defend themselves."

"Understood. Continue analysing the damage," he said, turning his head slightly so Dot could process more of the scenery. Unmuting his helmet's speakers once again, he looked at Jaune, "We probably shouldn't stay in a place like this, Jaune."

"Yeah, but-" The blonde straightened when Ren turned, producing two pistols and looking the way they'd come warily, "Something's wrong." The blonde stood, drawing his sword and Six stepped back, pressing against the wall for cover and following Ren's look.

"Ruby, get up high. Try to get eyes on." He muttered, kneeling and looking at her, "Jaune, get to Ren, find cover if you can. Until we know what's coming."

Ruby nodded, spinning her rifle as it… unfolded and expanded, elongating and widening until it became a scythe, and fired it at the ground, flying into the air. Six stared for a second, Jaune already running across the open area.

He muted his helmet once again, "Dot… Her rifle just changed shape into a scythe."

"Affirmative, Noble One. I am currently placing all records on conventional firearms I had recorded into a file and condensing it for long term storage. I feel it will not be relevant moving forward." He nodded, shouldering his rifle and standing, returning his eyes to the village's dilapidated entrance.

Across the courtyard, Ren and Nora were taking cover behind a pile of rubble, and Jaune was in front of them, his shield up and pressed against his chest. He was speaking to them, and Six elected to ignore them for the moment. It was probably not important to him, in any event.

After a few more seconds, a man in a brown leather coat came sprinting into the village, heading straight for Jaune and slamming a spinning kick into him before Six could fire an intercepting burst. The man kicked and spun, dodgin under a swipe of the blonde's sword and keeping him between Nora and Ren's weapons. He easily dodged Ruby's fire, the rounds slamming into the cement past him uselessly while he hammered at the young knight's defense and evaded his attacks, when he managed to even attempt them.

Stepping out of the cover he'd been using while he tried in vain to get a good enough shot, Six put his rifle on his back, drew his magnum in his right hand, a knife with his left, and charged the man. Not the best of plans, but good enough for the moment, until he could get them some distance between him and the other four, so he could shoot without worrying about hitting friendlies.

Once he was a couple feet away, he lunged with his knife. The man bent over backwards, under the blade, and smiled at him, grinning from ear to ear. Six didn't flinch, slamming a knee past his head when he turned, twisting almost inhumanly and slamming a punch into the Spartan's wound, cackling.

Clearly he thought it would hamper him .

Instead, he slammed a fist into the man's face, sending him staggering back under the impact, but still standing. A fact that didn't escape the Spartan, though he didn't hesitate for more than a micro-second at even that impossibility. Instead, he stepped into the man's guard while he was still somewhat stunned, and he hooked the knife behind the man's head, lifting the magnum and firing point blank into his chest seven times. The rounds impacted harmlessly and the man recovered, grabbing his arm and using it as leverage to spin up his body, leaping over him and landing on the ground a few feet away, standing straight as though he'd neither been punched or shot by a Spartan. Looking down for a moment, Six counted each round he'd fired, the rounds crushed from impacting the man and laying on the ground.

"Cataloguing new information, Noble Six." Dot intoned quietly, Six almost sighing.

The man cackled, Six sliding into an easy fighting stance and stepping to the side to provide cover for the three behind him, magnum and knife pointed at the man's head, blade under gun, "I must confess, I did not think anyone of any real skill would be here. I had thought I would just be playing a game, of sorts, with some children."

"Identify yourself." Six demanded lowly, the man raising an eyebrow at him for a second and chuckling.

"Why, my friend, I am Tyrian. Tyrian Callows." He gave a theatrical bow, flicking his arms out to either side, Six's magnum following his head the entire time.

"What do you want?" Jaune asked, stepping up beside Six, annoying the Spartan. Didn't he understand that he'd been providing them cover? "Why did you attack us?"

"Are you working for Cinder?" Ruby yelled from the rooftop, compromising her position entirely and pointing her… weapon, Six supposed he'd call it for now, at the hostile. Six almost asked who 'Cinder' was, but held his tongue. Better to not let the enemy know if he was lacking information.

The man laughed almost manically, and Six's grip on his weapons tightened slightly, "Oh no, no, no, no~! I would never work for someone as low and weak as Cinder. No, I am here for my goddess! You see, she has commanded I retrieve you, little Rose. And so, that is what I must do."

"We're not going to let that happen." Six practically snarled, turning his head to Jaune, "Keep back, coordinate your team in support. Retreat if I look like I'm going to lose."

"Oh, I'm so glad you said that~" The man said, kneeling into what Six assumed had to be a fighting stance, hands braced on the ground and legs stretched behind him. Jaune hesitated for a second before stepping back towards Nora and Ren, and Six narrowed his eyes at the man. "It's so much more fun when they fight back!"

Six fired a shot and the man launched forward, ducking under it and spinning on his hand, kicking at the Spartan. He raised his off arm to ward off the blows, turning slightly to kick at the man's spinning torso. He laughed, rolling across the ground and coming back up in his crouch, flicking his wrists to let the blades on his arm come out before launching at Six once more.

Six twisted to the side, evade the first series of strikes and stabbing at him with his knife, watching Ren fire at him from behind. The man laughed again, leaping over the Spartan's head and slamming a foot into the back of his knee hard enough that even the Spartan sank to a kneel. Ren's short burst ate at Six's shields for a second before he stopped firing. The Spartan slammed his head back, sending Tyrian staggering under the impact, and Six spun to slam a fist into Tyrian's stomach, then standing and bringing the same arm up to slam into his jaw.

The man flipped, using the momentum from the hit to lead into it and kicking Six's helmet in one move, jerking the Spartan's head back. Six backpedaled, firing another couple of shots from his Magnum at where the man had been. He looked back down in time to catch the man lunging in, slamming a series of rapid kicks into his wounded side again, his shields finally dropping with a yellow pop.

The man leapt back, Six staggering away while he stood and smiled confidently, "Oh my, your Aura is already gone? How… disappointing."

Six took the time to eject his magazine, slamming the Magnum down onto a fresh clip and levelling it at him as his shields returned, the man's confusion more than evident. Enough so that Six almost smiled, "Wasn't Aura, it was my shielding system."

The man gave an absolutely unamused face before his eyes trailed to Six's side, and his face cracked into a manic grin, "Oh my, could it be! You have that because you don't _have_ Aura?" Six followed his gaze, looking down at the slowly reddening bandages with a grimace.

"Dot." He grunted, sliding back into his fighting stance as the AI administered a series of stimulants, the chemicals immediately refreshing him marginally. He grunted and looked at the man as his helmet unmuted, as he placed his Magnum on his thigh and picked up the grenade, holding a thumb over the activator. "You talk too much."

The man simply laughed, looking at the grenade and then at the people behind him, spreading out to try and find a way to help the Spartan. Ruby landed on the ground behind them, running up with her scythe in her hand, "Dear little Rose, do you see? Your stoic friend here is about to kill himself!"

Six turned his head to look at her, the girl's silvery eyes landing on his grenade and widening, before looking behind him again and sparking in fear, "Six!"

He turned instinctively, his radar showing rapid movement which he tried to evade, and felt something gouge across his chest, scratching at the armor uselessly. He flinched back at the sight of the massive stinger, backing away in shock. Groaning at what felt like the twelfth surprise in the last ten minutes, Six stepped back from the extremity while Tyrian chuckled. Rushing forward, Six lunged in with his knife multiple times, trying to land a hit on the evasive man and avoiding the stinger the lashed out at him over and over. Tyrian countered, lunging in at his wounded side.

Six rolled to the side, turning just in time to feel something slam into his calf, sharp pain even he could feel blooming out. Looking down, he saw the stinger retract, and glared at Tyrian, who laughed happily, "And just like that, I win! Now you can give up so I may take my prize, or simply die from the poison. Either way, my Goddess shall receive what she demands."

"I have administered stimulants, coagulants and multiple artery blockers to prevent blood flow." Dot interrupted, Six feeling his leg numb and tighten up, stiffening into what was essentially a stick where his leg had been, "You have lost sixty four percent of your mobility, and no longer have any stimulants for your wounds."

"Haven't you heard?" Six asked lowly, sliding back into a fighting stance, leg stiff and numb serving more as a stilt than anything, "Spartans never die."

The man chuckled, looking at Ruby instead, "Little flower, you do realize your large friend here will die if this continues, yes?" He turned again, seeing Ruby hesitate with her weapon, a rifle once more, raised slightly, "No one else has to get hurt, all you must do is agree to come with me."

"I-I…"

"The only one here that has to get hurt anymore is you, asshole." Six's head snapped up to a man kneeling on a roof, slipping a silver flask back into his coat as he stood with a massive sword on his shoulder. He nodded at Six, smiling, "Been following you all for a while, wanted to make sure you could be trusted before I joined in. Hope you don't mind. Oh, name's Qrow, by the way. Qrow Branwen."

"Not at all." Six answered honestly, replacing the grenade on his hip and looking at him, "I would have done the same."

"Now then," the man said, dropping to the ground and standing effortlessly, looking at Tyrian with hard eyes, "You about ready to face someone who isn't badly wounded?"

For once, Tyrian looked genuinely angry, saying nothing as he slid into his fighting stance.

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 **Twisted ~ As always, hope you enjoyed the update, and I'd love some input. If you want more updates, more often, and of specific stories you want, go to Youtube and look up The Temple Walkers. From there, you can support us with donations, and request stories and videos alike.**

 **Also, thanks to a new member of my little crew, so to speak, T0PH4T for agreeing to help me keep Six in line with Halo canon, and do edits, smooth over some of my issues with prose and such as you may have noticed in earlier chapters. I appreciate it incredibly.**


	5. Execution and Exposition

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright?**_

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 **Anti-Xeno Man (Guest) :**

 **Twisted ~ Not currently intending on bringing the whole faction, at the least. Barely crossed my mind to bring even a few over.**

 **Anatomy Man (Guest) :**

 **Twisted ~ The questions on the severity of his wounds will be answered in a couple chapters, but in short, Spartans like Six are augmented to not feel pain as much. And to take more damage, as well as having redundant systems in their Mjolnir to help prevent suffering from certain injuries, like explosive decompression. In this instance, the armor would react the same. He wouldn't explode, he'd collapse inwards. And with stimulants and numbing agents? He wouldn't feel it. As a note, I didn't find you sarcastic, I always appreciate someone bringing reality to my fics.**

 **Killjoy :**

 **Twisted ~ Glad to see you pop over to the new fic! And I am considering a few ideas for his choice of weapons, and also simply not giving him a Hunter's kind of weapon and instead leaning on a rifle or some such.**

 **Expert of Poisons (Guest) :**

 **Twisted ~ One, Tyrian doesn't know that and I write as the character would act and know, so he'd make the threat. Two, Six is out of everything that would stop the poisoning, and we don't know how toxic Tyrian's poison really is. Six, in my mind, would treat it as deadly and react accordingly, as would Dot.**

 **Gizmo Gear :**

 **Twisted ~ No joke, heh. And with Qrow in on it too? Bad days for him, t'would seem.**

 **Shashenka :**

 **Twisted ~ Didn't** _ **pierce**_ **the plating. Hit one of the gaps, inside his thigh. Apologies, thought I put that detail in.**

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"Looks bad." Qrow muttered quietly, head turned only slightly to the larger Spartan, "If you need to, bow out. I can handle him all by myself, and you'll be safer for it for damn sure."

"I am fine." Six countered shortly, the duo staring down Tyrian as the man waited, an odd expression mixing anger and boredom on his face, "I am still perfectly capable."

"That's not what's-"

Tyrian shot forward, spinning on his hands and lashing out with kicks at both men. Qrow evaded, dancing backwards and deflecting the attacks aimed at him with the flat of his blade. Six, meanwhile, blocked with his arms, staggering back on his weakened leg under the weight of the attacks. Tyrian cackled madly, driving a heavy kick into his stab wound, and Six grunted. Qrow dodged into the melee, forcing Tyrian back for a moment and keeping him at bay. Six drew his rifle, stepping to the side and trying to get a clean shot at the Faunus. Tyrian saw it, keeping Qrow between them, circling by inches as Tyrian and Qrow fought and the former tried to use his opponent as cover.

"You're hurt, Six, you need to stop." Ren muttered, stepping up beside him once again, Nora on his other flank, "We'll support him instead, you need to rest. Especially with the poison in your-"

"If you believe that I have lost this fight, why are you here?" He turned his visor to the young man in irritation, the man flinching back slightly, "If I could not win, I ordered you to run, not to stay."

"We're friends, not soldiers. We don't just run away because you're in trouble. We're supposed to do the opposite, silly." Nora said simply from his other side, the Spartan turning his silver visor to her face. Nora simply smiled at him though, where even Ren had flinched in surprise. "So let us handle this, okay?"

Neither waited for an answer, charging to either of Qrow's flanks. The man spotted them and turned, "No! Keep back, or you'll-"

Nora used a building, running up the wall and bringing her hammer down while Ren slipped past Qrow, his pistols firing rapidly at the man. He spun, ignoring the rounds peppering his body and ducking past Nora's hammer swing almost effortlessly. He slammed his shoulder into her stomach, one arm looping between her legs and his hand gripping her thigh and the other gripping her throat, flinging her at Qrow and turning, leaping at Ren like an animal all in one fluid movement.

The girl slammed into Qrow, sending him staggering back and down with the girl on top of him while Tyrian slammed a series of kicks into Ren's chest and finally his face, throwing him to the ground before kicking him away. Jaune was next and fared no better, running up behind Tyrian with his sword raised at shoulder height and his shield locked against his chest protectively. Tyrian smacked a kick into the shield, latching on like a tick and climbing over him, kicking him into Ruby when she dropped from the roof to try and help.

Six fired a burst from his rifle, the rounds impacting Tyrian's back harmlessly, and Tyrian turned to smile at him. He swatted at Ren when he staggered up with his tail, throwing him against the wall again and turned to regard Six and Qrow, "Your little children can't beat me, neither can you! One is dying, the other is as useless as the dying one. What can you possibly do to me?"

"Stab you?" Qrow half asked, flicking his large sword to the side, the weapon whirring and humming as it extended and elongated. Six watched the handle extend into a polearm haft, and the blade segment and break up into separate pieces, eventually settling into the form of a scythe, "Maybe cut you up a bit? One of those two always works out, eventually."

Tyrian answered by flicking his wrists again, two small barrels opening at the tips of his wrist-blades and spraying ammunition. Six flinched, grabbing Nora from the ground and dragging her behind a building for cover, his shields flaring as he moved. The girl's rear hit the floor and he hefted her hammer in his right hand, laying his rifle on the ground and drawing his Magnum with the other. "I'm borrowing this, how do I make it into the grenade launcher?"

"Uh, like this?" Nora said quietly, reaching up and flicking a switch under the handle. "You're welcome!" She called to his back as he stepped out of cover, raising the grenade launcher in one hand firing one of the pink grenades at Tyrian and Qrow.

The blast threw them apart, each staggering up a few feet away, and Qrow spoke first, "The hell are you aiming at!"

Tyrian simply laughed, hacking occasionally as he did so, and rose, red sparking along his body in a fashion not too different to when his own shields dropped, "Oh, now that was _interesting_ indeed!"

Six smiled behind his helmet, aiming at Tyrian's feet and firing again. The grenade bounced across the ground, detonating where Tyrian had been a moment before. And Six spun, looking at his radar and scanning for the Faunus. He turned on the spot when he saw a red blip shooting towards him, bringing the weapon to bear on the target.

And stumbled, his weak leg catching on loose stones and going out from under him as the Faunus slammed into his chest. The man cackled, straddling him and digging a blade into his side, before aiming at his throat at point blank range, "Bye now!"

And the gun jammed, clicking in front of him a few times, making Six sigh in relief before he grabbed the man's throat and pushed him off him and to the side, using his good leg for leverage. Tyrian slammed into the ground beside him. Smiling thinly and ignoring the pain in his side, Six slammed a fist into the Faunus' face, shattering his nose and throwing blood across the ground. Tyrian tried to bring the functioning gun to bear and Six grabbed it, yanking his knife free and slamming it into Tyrian's hand, pinning it to the ground before standing with a foot on his other while the man grunted and struggled in futility.

Snarling, the Faunus' tale lashed up at him and Six turned on his heel. He caught the offending stinger under an arm and tucked it into his armpit to hold it there, and aimed his Magnum with the other, "Now," he said, panting slightly, "who sent you, and how do I cure your venom?"

"You have to get to a hospital, they oughta be able to treat ya. He won't be carrying any antivenom, his kind of Faunus are immune to his own poison." Qrow said quietly, stepping up next to him and looking down at the man, "And as for who sent him, it's Salem. Worst of the worst, and a thorn in everyone's side."

"You will watch what you say or I will-"

"Do nothing, because you aren't able." Six informed him, twisting the stinger sharply, "Speak when spoken to." He turned to regard Qrow again, nodding at the children as they collected themselves, "Get the children out of here. Far enough they can't hear. Have anything you want me to ask?"

"Nothing he'd know the answer to." Qrow said with a shrug, collapsing his weapon and placing it in a holster on the back of his waist and under his cloak, "He's more a pawn than anything. Maybe a rook. Anyways, he doesn't know anything useful that I don't already."

"Then he's useless?" Six asked with a jerk of his head, sighing when Qrow nodded and aiming his Magnum at the man.

"No!" Ruby squeaked, shooting forward in a… burst of rose petals, of all things, making Six pause. "You can't kill him! He's beaten, you can just... stop now, Six."

"Recompiling anatomy information on Human life…" Six heard Dot say quietly, sounding genuinely frustrated for the first time in his life.

"Ruby…" he heard Qrow sigh, walking around his back and wrapping an arm around her chest to try and pull her back, "Don't, Little Red. This needs to happen."

"No, it doesn't." Nora added, stepping up beside Six and hefting her hammer, "He's beaten, we can't just… murder him. That's wrong."

"Did Cinder seem to hesitate to kill Pyrrha, Ruby? Did she hesitate to have Penny killed?" he heard Jaune ask coldly from behind him, Tyrian's angry eyes looking past the Spartan's legs to glare at the blonde. Ruby shook her head, looking at Jaune sadly and pulling her hands against her chest to hug Qrow's arm. Family, Six guessed immediately. "Then why should we hesitate when this is someone just like her?"

"But we can't just-"

Six cut Ruby off, ending the argument by firing four rounds into the man's chest and another into his head. He knelt to yank the knife out of Tyrian's hand, wiping it on the fresh corpse's sleeve and sliding it into its sheath, "There. Argument over."

He felt their eyes bore into his back as he stepped past them, moving to retrieve his rifle. He was content to be the silent villain until he heard Ruby's sniffle and turned, looking at the back of her head as she pressed into Qrow's chest. Six was used to being the villain but…

The anger, sorrow and fear most of them looked at him with right now? That was new. Ruby's steely silver eyes turned to look at him, a mixture of horror and anger in them that Six had seen many times in his life. He'd grow used to that too, it was normal. A Marine would look at him like that when he left his brother's body to rot for the sake of the mission.

But hers unnerved him, and he didn't understand why.

And he disliked it greatly, even though he didn't know why he felt that way on that front either.

Their journey continued in silence after that for some time after RNJR buried the man. Six had almost suggested leaving him there, to save time, but it had seemed a bad idea. And besides, it only took half an hour, hardly any time really. Qrow had explained that the toxins would likely take a couple days to lay anyone out permanently.

Six got what he meant.

He knew they were unhappy with him as well, so he did as he always did when travelling with displeased companions. Walked far in front of them, serving as a scout as much as he used it to avoid them. Eventually, Qrow joined him, walking along the path with him for a while before speaking.

"Six, right?"

"Yes." Six answered mechanically, turning his helmet slightly to get a better look at the man, "Spartan B312, designation Noble Six. Spartan and six work equally as well, use whichever you prefer."

"Yeah, got it." He said, fishing his flask out of his jacket and taking a drink from it before offering it to the Spartan, "Want a drink? Hard stuff, but you seem the type to like the hard stuff."

"I don't drink." He answered, shaking his head. Left unsaid was that Six wasn't even sure whether he could _get_ drunk, given his augmentations. "But... Thank you for the offer. Sir."

"Sir, huh?" He asked, laughing dryly and without humor, "Been a long time since I got any respectful terms like that." The his face hardened, and he looked at the Spartan fully, "Ruby told me your story, Spartan. There's never been a town or settlement called 'Reach', and I don't know of any 'United Nations Space Command' either."

Six kept his tongue, staring ahead and marching steadily with hands gripping his rifle tightly. He knew he couldn't beat the entire group, he didn't have the equipment and he was too wounded. Instead, he needed a plan to get away. Take Ruby captive, maybe? He muted his helmet and addressed Dot instead, "Run odds on escaping this group is things go south. Tag important targets for elimination and any targets I could use to escape."

"Targets tagged. Odds of success given your current health and armament are, however, low." Six grimaced and dismissed the targets from his HUD.

"So," Qrow continued, the Spartan turning to watch him, "Care to tell me where you're really from then, or does this get to be the kind of thing I drink the hard stuff for?"

Six's mind raced for several minutes of silence, running through idea after idea, answer after answer, before sighing and unmuting his helmet's speakers. "You wouldn't believe me even were I to tell you."

He laughed quietly, shaking his head, "Okay, when we camp tonight, I'm going to have some stories for you that you won't believe either. So tell you what, you tell me yours now, I'll tell everyone mine later."

He thought for a second before nodding at him, turning slightly to look at the group behind him. Even upset as he knew she was, Ruby waved slightly when she saw him and he turned back, "Fine. But don't tell them, alright?"

"Why not?" He asked quickly, jerking his head back, "You think they'd turn you out for lying to people you'd just met?"

"Possibly." He admitted with a nod, the other man shaking his head and opening his mouth to speak, "Not for lack of character, however. I saw how they felt about me executing that man back there. My past is no better."

"And you think that will be enough, then?" He nodded, and Qrow grunted, "Ruby's not like that, at least. Not sure about the others, though. Jaune looked like he was on your side though. Kid had somethin' bad happen to him, so I'm not too surprised."

"He doesn't know the meaning of real loss." Six muttered bitterly, turning to face ahead, "I'll tell you then. It's a long story though." Qrow nodded, and Six told him.

He started early, telling him the story of his early life and training. He told him of his augmentation process, of the pain and the screaming and the burning that felt like it would never stop. Then he told him of his service. The cities he bombed for their rebellious inclination, the ships ruined and people executed without so much as a question. About his days spent as a bullet, eliminating all who he was told were enemies of the UNSC. His time as a lone wolf, ripping out the throats of those who used them in ways the state disliked like a good, loyal little dog.

Then he told him of his time spent doing the same to the Covenant, after explaining what they were and what he knew. He told him of all the men and women he'd seen die at their hands, all the worlds he'd watched burn as he was extracted safely away. Of the children who lost it all, and still the Covenant cut them down.

Next he told him of Reach, and Noble Squad. Of Emile, the cold bastard, and Jorge, the man who shielded a woman he'd never met with his own body on pure instinct. Who'd paused in a mission to comfort the same woman who had lost her father, in a universe of women who had lost their fathers. Of Kat, the clever intellectual who was missing one of her arms. He'd never asked about that, and even now wondered at it. Carter, their leader and the reason he had ended his ways as a lone wolf. Of Jun, the Spartan who never missed his mark unless he tried to, and who had almost outmatched Six in accuracy. He told him all of their character, and Qrow listened intently and never interrupted.

Lastly, he told of the last moments he'd seen them. Jorge's sacrifice, made waste by the immediate arrival of an armada of the ships they tried to destroy one of. Of Kat's tragedy, picked off by a lone Elite who had likely been simply passing by. Jun's vanishing with Halsey, and Carter's sacrifice against the Scarab. Emile's death, stabbed through the back and bled out on the defensive platform, and how that had forced Six to stay on the dying world as the last ships ran.

Finally, of where he felt his own death had been, alone on a field of corpses and surrounded by enemies. Of the Elite's odd sense of honor, "I still don't know why they let me go. Probably something in their culture."

"Honor is weird sometimes." Qrow said with a shrug, "In Mistral, it's 'honorable' to send assassins after someone, but not to actually stab them when they turn their backs. In Vacuo, thievery is seen as 'honorable', but police work is a stab in the back."

"Indeed." The Spartan said quietly, inclining his head respectfully at the man as the sun began to dip low in the sky, "After that, I policed the dead around me for supplies and wandered the ruins for a while. Then a… friend, I suppose, helped me find something. It exploded in my face, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up here. On your planet. With these… children."

"Sounds like a hard life." Qrow answered quickly, snorting in amusement and shaking his head, "A lot of it doesn't make sense to me, but… I believe you."

"Why?" Six asked instinctively, honestly surprised to have the man believe even an ounce of the story.

"The things I do understand make sense." He said simply, gesturing at him, "Your rifle, I see the number on the back of it. Rifles here on Remnant tend towards higher magazine capacities. Makes it easier to fight the Grimm's horde tactics. And when that Faunus got you with his tail, it pierced your undersuit without any problems. A human here, like you? His Aura would have bounced it back. Not to mention that your side hasn't healed either, when Aura would have patched up enough a burn like that in a day or so."

"So if I hadn't been wounded-"

"Probably wouldn't have bought your story." He admitted as they entered a clearing that had all the trappings of an old campsite, "But… I do. I'll cover for you, for now. Say you're like me, and that should smooth things over with Ruby." Six nodded and Qrow raised his voice, "Campin' here for the night, our big metal friend needs to rest, with that poison in him."

Six moved initially to help gather wood for the fire, but was rebuffed by Ruby, still clearly upset but worried nonetheless. "You're hurt, Six… Just rest, okay? We'll handle it. I'll, uh, check your wound in a bit, okay? Your leg too."

He sighed sadly and did as he was told, watching the girl walk off to look for kindling, and Qrow said down next to him, fishing out his flask again and taking a sip from it. This time, when he offered it to the Spartan, he took it, turning his head to take a sip without showing his face out of habit. It burned, and Qorw laughed when he choked slightly and handed it back to him.

By the time the sun fel fully, the fire was glowing warmly, his wounds bandaged and everyone was eating their food when Jaune spoke up, "I think it's time that you tell us what that was all about, if you know anything, Qrow."

Wen Qrow leaned forward to tell his tale, one full of magic, gods, demons and monsters, Six understood what hearing a ridiculous story was like. Dot spoke up halfway through, and Six chuckled, "Compacting all remaining files on basic physics as well, Noble Six…"

Magic, Maidens, gods and monsters, shifting weapons and invisible, natural shields around people who themselves had apparently magical abilities to turn into flower petals… he understood the AI's exasperation.

"So that's why Pyrrha died? For some… weird power that Ozpin tried to give her?" Jaune asked bitterly, glaring at the man, "All because _you_ couldn't save the first woman?"

"Jaune!" Ruby squeaked angrily, sitting next to Six where no one else had been comfortable to be, with him between her and Qrow. "Don't say it like that! It wasn't Uncle Qrow's fault."

"No, Ruby, he's right to be angry." Qrow interrupted, nodding grimly, "But Amber was… not very friendly to Ozpin. She liked to wander, and hated anyone following her. I tried, when we found out about a threat to her, but she kept slipping away from me whenever she could. Eventually, that got her killed." He looked at Ranger sadly and smiled thinly, "I'm sorry your friends paid the price, though."

Jaune grunted, staring at the fire angrily, and shook his head almost tiredly, "I'm… sorry, I shouldn't blame you for bad luck."

"Actually, you should." Qrow said quietly, kneeling before the fire to stoke the flames, "Up until now, I'm sure you though Semblances were wonderful things, right? They give you powers and abilities, after all. But… That's not always the case."

As Qrow explained his own 'Semblance' and Dot catalogued everything for him, Six began to get a fuller picture of the way things were in the world. He was grateful for that, at least, even if he didn't fully understand everything yet. It just meant that he'd need to gather some information before moving forward, something he was more than adept at doing.

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 **Twisted ~ As always, hope you enjoyed the update, and I'd love some input. If you want more updates, more often, and of specific stories you want, go to Youtube and look up The Temple Walkers. From there, you can support us with donations, and request stories and videos alike.**

 **Also, thanks to T0PH4T, as always, for agreeing to help me keep Six in line with Halo canon, and do edits, smooth over some of my issues with prose and such as you may have noticed in earlier chapters. I appreciate it incredibly.**


	6. Pained Conversation

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? Even a dollar could help immensely!**_

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 **The Archmage :**

 **Twisted ~ I… Huh. I may actually steal that idea, if you don't mind.**

 **Gizmo Gear :**

 **Twisted ~ Think of it akin to Batman. He's no problem with a death penalty. They just feel that he'd lost and that should be it. I will get into it more as chapters go on, though.**

 **Killjoy :**

 **Twisted ~ Glad you like it!**

 **Dark Rom Demon :**

 **Twisted ~ Yeah. I mean, a Spartan is a tough son of a bitch. But poisoned, stabbed several times and so on? That's a lot of punishment, even for a Spartan.**

 **Shadoki :**

 **Twisted ~ Thanks a lot~!**

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Six grunted as he walked behind the rest of them, his wounded leg shuddering slightly under his weight. He ignored it, as he had the other ten times that morning, but Ruby saw. He could see her concern and straightened, forcing himself forward to try and get rid of the limp and otherwise ignored the pain in his leg.

After an hour of this sort of thing, Ruby ran to the front of the group, rose petals trailing behind her and clapped next to Qrow, "Uncle Qrow, can we break for lunch? I'm starving!"

He gave her a look Six almost couldn't see, then looked over his shoulder, past the group to look him before sighing visibly. "Sure, kiddo. Ten minutes, grab a snack and make it quick. We have a lot of ground to cover, and you're doing it with me along so we need to get it done quick. Let's just find a good spot." They walked for another minute before they found a collection of rubble on the side of the road. Six took a spot further forward, watching the road ahead warily, and saw on his radar before he even heard Qrow coming up behind him, "How's your leg doing?"

"Fine." He grunted, looking down at it for half a second and relaxing his rifle arm.

"Bullshit. I saw you limping and staggering, Ruby did too. No one is gonna judge you for feeling it after getting stabbed, what, twice? Three times?" He shook his head, sitting down and fishing a small silver case out of a pocket, "Anti-toxin meds. Won't cure it, but it'll stimulate your immune system so you make it a little further." Six hesitated for a second before taking the case from him and opening it, looking at the small red syringe curiously, "Inject it at the base of your knee, since you got stabbed in the thigh. When we get a minute, we should try activating your Aura."

"Humans in my galaxy don't have Aura." He said, pulling the syringe out and leaning down to inject it. "Why is the metal red?"

"Special kind of metal from Vacuo. Pierces Aura like butter. I always carry one of 'em in case I run up on a Faunus like that one." He shrugged, leaning forward to speak more quietly, "And in my world, we don't have aliens, or Spartans, or space ships. It's worth trying. I imagine you'd be a monster with an Aura."

"Mhm." He grunted, straightening and replacing the syringe in the case, handing it back to the man, "What are the risks?"

"Not many, really. Knew a guy who had a reaction with tattoos he had, Hunters have to use a special kind of ink so our Aura doesn't recognize it as damage. Got any ink on you?" He asked, smiling and standing, offering the Spartan a hand.

"No, but I do have multiple implants." He said, standing and shaking his head, "Those might reject, and that would be lethal. I've seen what happens to Spartans who reject their implants. It's…"

"Not pretty?" Qrow asked, the Spartan grabbing his hand and using him to brace himself when he stood. The soldier nodded, looking at his leg and testing it. "Should buy you a couple days, if you don't do any fighting or running. Just stay relaxed and should be fine."

"Isn't your Semblance literally bad luck? Should you really be saying anything about it?" Six asked quietly, and Qrow paused for a second.

"Shit." Qrow said, sighing and looking at him as they rejoined the others and Six settled onto another slab of concrete, "Well, you might just die then."

"Uncle Qrow! You can't just say that to people! Say you're sorry!" Ruby half squeaked, half yelled Six chuckled, watching Ruby pout at the larger man who had settled next to her.

Two hours of travel later, they were stopped at a fork in the road with a small sign, Jaune looking at their map, "If we head through here, we should get to one of Mistral's bases in a week or so. If we hurry at least, and don't run into any Grimm on the way."

"Six won't last that long." Ren argued, looking at the Spartan's leg and grimacing, "Even with the anti-toxin medicine Qrow gave you, you can't last a week of travel. And if you collapse, we can't carry you. We need to get to Mistral sooner."

"Scrolls are still down, and we're too low and far away for a patrol ship to see us." Qrow added quietly, crossing his arms and tapping his foot aimlessly, "Need to get up high, try and find a base or an outpost. Might not be on that map if it's newer."

"Or classified." Six offered, the Huntsmen nodding absently.

"He can't go up into the mountains, he's too hurt for that." Ruby argued, pointing at his leg and glaring at him weakly. "He's been staggering all day, and that stab in his side isn't getting any better either. I've been watching it."

"We go low, he could die. We go high, he could die." Jaune said quietly, sighing and turning around, "We have to split up, try for both and double our chances to get help for Six. Some go up the mountain, Six and the others go through the town, maybe try and meet up on the other side of the mountain. Sooner, if you find something up there or some help."

"I'll go high then." Qrow started, looking at Ruby, "Ruby, Jaune, keep an eye on Six. Watch his pace, he's hurt worse than he looks and poisoned besides. Getting away from me is probably a helper too, now I think."

"I'll go with you then." Ren said, stepping past him with Nora in tow, smiling apologetically and waving at a forlorn looking Ruby.

"That's what I was gonna say anyway," Qrow sighed, shaking his head and looking at Ruby, "Take care, and be safe, okay? I won't be too far, so if you run into anything you can't handle alone, just fire a few tracers. I'll see 'em and come runnin'. Alright?"

"Got it." She said, smiling sadly and watching the trio depart.

After a few minutes, they turned and began making their way down the dirt path quietly. Jaune lead the way, his off hand resting on the hilt of his sword as he walked. Ruby walked beside Six, staring at the ground as they walked and kicking at rocks as they walked, clearly irritated. Six ignored it for a while, until he took a step and felt his leg give out from under him.

Ruby shouted and tried to catch the soldier, while Jaune turned to watch the two collapse under Six's weight. Six knelt on all fours, breathing heavily, and Ruby crouched beside him to try and help. "Six? Are you okay? What's wrong?"

She tried to get an arm under him and help him up when he didn't answer and he pushed her away, forcing himself upright and staggering to his rifle, "I'm fine." He hesitated when he saw her on the ground, pouting and looking away from him, "Sorry… I didn't mean to push you."

"Then why did you?" Jaune asked, stepping past him and offering a hand down to the girl, who sniffled and used it to pull herself up.

He sighed, looking down at his leg, and stooping to pick up his rifle, "We should keep moving, or we'll fall further behind than I will make us anyways." The two watched him limp on for a second before following him. "Dot, what's happening?"

"You appear to have offended Miss Rose and Mister Arc, if you are referring to your new companions," she said, sounding almost snide, if that were something that she was capable of. Six wasn't sure. "As for your body, you are gravely wounded. I have administered multiple stimulants, coagulants, antibiotics and more over the course of the last few days. Miss Rose has as well. However, all of that, even combined with your augmentations and pain nullification, your wounds are mounting. Your body is giving in to the toxins, even if you can't feel it for the most part."

"So I'm steadily going into shock?" He asked, shaking his head tiredly, "Wonderful."

"I estimate two days at current rate of exertion before your body gives out entirely and you die. Less than one until your body goes into shock, and you begin losing your ability to move." He grimaced, and the two remained in silence for several long moments before Dot spoke. "Noble Six, Noble Five and I spoke at length before his death. I feel the matter bears mentioning now as well, given your wounds."

"How so?" He asked simply, stumbling slightly before catching himself and moving on. He turned to see Ruby, watching him and walking closely. Protectively. He gave her a polite nod, and she smiled slightly.

"He and I spoke about you, actually. At length. He told me that, should such a situation as this arise, I should speak to you and share what he had to say." Six blinked in surprise, shaking his head in disbelief, "I was only to tell you just before your death, if you were still fighting with Noble Team."

"Except that I'm not fighting with Noble Team anymore." Six argued, raising an eyebrow before he realised that the AI couldn't see it.

"You are with a team, travelling in what is classified by friendly forces as enemy territory, and wounded enough you could die." Dot said mechanically, Six sighing as he saw the lines of thought line up. "I find these to fit the applied parameters given for this directive."

"How could Jorge even give you directives? Shouldn't he lack the required command clearances?" Only Spartan team leaders and a few select Spartans could issue low level AIs directives. Jorge was neither, and Dot was high enough level to not even be issued directed by Carter unless they corresponded with already existing ones.

"It… It was a request. I accepted the new directives, just after Noble Five was killed in action." Dot said quietly, and Six almost paused in mid-step at the idea of it. She'd _written in_ her own directive, at Jorge's request.

"And… what is it? What is his directive?" Six asked quietly, looking up at the bright blue sky as he remembered looking up that day. Seeing the debris raining down all around him. Jorge's success turned failure. "What is it that he asked you to tell me that was important enough that you violated UNSC protocols?"

"He told me to tell you that when you are about to die, don't. Live. For them. For the entirety of Humanity, but mostly for them," she said sternly, and Six actually stopped in his tracks at the words. Ruby and Jaune almost ran into him, exchanging worried looks and stepping in front of him as he remembered the last thing Jorge had ever said to him.

" _They're gonna need you down there."_

He'd thought Jorge meant the people of Reach, the UNSC. But he'd meant his team. His friends. Six pressed a hand to his side, the bandages ruffling under his fingers as Ruby stepped in front of him, concern etched into her face. His team. People who fought together, as he had with Ranger. People who treated each other's wounds, like Ruby had.

"Noble Six?" Dot asked after a moment, "It appears Miss Rose is trying to get your attention, Noble Six."

Six snapped out of his reverie, head whipping to look at Six quickly. "Yes, Ruby?"

"You're holding your side, and you stopped in the middle of the road. Are you okay? Are you bleeding again? Is the medicine not working? Do you need to rest?" She asked, clearly worried. He almost argued, dismissed her worries and insisted that he was fine. Instead, he nodded and, when she stepped beside him to try and help him, he allowed it.

They sat in the shade, the Spartan leaning against a large tree and resting while Ruby sat next to him and checked all of his bandages. He turned to look at her, grimacing behind his helmet, "I misunderstood you all, back in the village. I thought you were what you aren't. I apologize for that."

"What do you mean?" She asked quietly, looking at the ground sadly.

"I thought of you all as soldiers, when you aren't. Not like me, not like my fellow Spartans. You said you fought monsters, and where I come from that means something very different." He sighed, looking back to the sky and shaking his head, "You play by different rules than I do, and I didn't know that. I was wrong."

"So you're not apologizing because what you did was wrong, you're apologizing because you were wrong about us and did it where we could see? I don't think you get the problem." She sighed, shaking her head and looking at him with anger in her eyes for the first time. "You had him beaten, Six. You didn't need to kill him."

"Yes he-" Jaune began, but Six held up a hand to silence him. The blonde looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Should I have turned him loose then? Allowed him to continue on his merry way?" Six said. She started to answer and he interrupted, "Ruby, how many people do you think he has killed for Salem?"

"I-I don't know…"

"Well, if he's anything like a Spartan, I'd put the number at a hundred at least. So assume that he'd have killed a hundred more in his natural life. Both numbers are low, but just use them for your math," He looked at her, and watched her face fall, "I won't ask you to bend your morality, Ruby. But we couldn't take him prisoner, and letting him go would essentially be me shooting a hundred people in this scenario. I did as I felt I had to."

"I understand… But it's still wrong! We're supposed to be better than them, not do the easy thing." She sounded sad, and Six sighed and leaned towards her. "We're supposed to be heroes."

"Ruby, you kill monsters, right? Save people's lives?" Six asked. She looked at him and nodded. "Then think of it like this. Think of the lives saved by my killing him then and there. Of someone who wanted to drag you away somewhere, probably to kill you. Or worse."

"I would have killed Cinder to save Pyrrha." Jaune offered quietly, grimacing sadly at Ruby's look, "A villain's life has some worth to it, of course. But not as much as an innocent person, or a good one."

"But that's not the point, Jaune!" She almost yelled, looking hurt and angry all at once, "He had lost. A villain would kill someone who'd already been beaten. Not a hero."

"Everyone's a hero in their own eyes, Ruby," Six said, shrugging slightly when she raised an eyebrow at him, "I did what I thought I needed to in order to protect you and your friends. I don't claim to be a hero in any light. Only a successful Spartan. That's all I seek to be, Ruby."

"I don't think I can ever really accept that, Six." She said quietly, turning to lean against the side of the tree next to him. "I think you should try to be better than that."

"I am what I was made to be." He said simply, looking to the sky as he had been doing a lot lately. "Only what I was meant to be…"

"You decide what you are meant to be, Six," Ruby said quietly from beside him, Jaune grunting in a sort of agreement on her other side, "If you think you are as you should be, stay that way. Or change, try to be better than you were. That's what I do every day."

"It's what everyone does," Jaune agreed, Six looking at him in surprise. He'd thought the younger man was in agreement with him. He shrugged and eased against the tree on his other side, "I might agree with you about… shooting that guy. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to be a better person. That's different."

He sighed, "Never was any good with non-Spartans." After a few seconds of silence he forced himself to stand, bad leg aching dully in the back of his mind. "I'll think about what you've said, Ruby. But for now, we have to get under way."

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 **Twisted ~ As always, hope you enjoyed the update, and I'd love some input. If you want more updates, more often, and of specific stories you want, go to Youtube and look up The Temple Walkers. From there, you can support us with donations, and request stories and videos alike.**


	7. Monster Slayer

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? Even a dollar could help immensely!**_

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 **Sicilia Fae:**

 **Twisted ~ This problem is why I have had Six wounded as badly as he has, and if you look, most of the damage he has sustained afterwards has been due to surprises he couldn't have known about. Aura stopping attacks, shifting weapons, tails… That sort of thing. Think of it like this: Six fought an unknown that could outmaneuver him, he didn't know what would actually wound him after he struck Tyrian the first time and he shrugged it off, and so on. I have tried not to nerf him as much as possible.**

 **Dashing Rogue:**

 **Twisted ~ I wouldn't change Six that much. I am more… exposing faults I see in every character. Ruby and Six included.**

 **Super Saiyan Vegeta:**

 **Twisted ~ See the above, plox.**

 **Gizmo Gear:**

 **Twisted ~ Ironwood has Aura already and his implants and prosthetics were made on Remnant. Stands to reason testing and fielding procedures would have been put in place for Hunters and the like to get these sorts of implants and prosthetics.**

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The Spartan saw Ren run in, sitting at the base of the tree with his rifle

laid across his chest and ears open for another of those strange shrieks. Jaune turned to look at Ren. "Ren? What was that sound? Are you okay?" He saw the young blonde relax slightly when he spotted Nora rounding a corner, and relaxed himself slightly before he saw Ren sink to the ground.

"Ren? What's wrong?" Another of the loud screams echoed around them and Ruby started muttering to herself. "What is that sound? A Grimm of some kind, maybe? I've never heard anything like it…"

"I have." Six said quietly, rising slowly and stiffly, tucking the rifle closer against his chest and flexing his fingers on the grip at its front, "Sounds like…" ' _A Banshee, kind of…'_ He cut himself off, grimacing at the almost slip of the tongue. He could feel the toxin slowing his bodily reactions, but he hadn't realized that it was affecting his mental faculties as well.

He could compensate. He'd suffered worse handicaps.

The next shriek sounded even closer. Qrow ran into the town and pulled Ren to his feet, practically shoving Ren towards the group, then turning and raising his blade defensively. A massive black arm slammed into Qrow, sending him flying into a graceless landing. "Big bastard, hard to hurt," Qrow growled. "Couldn't even slow it down on my own." He looked over his shoulder, his eyes meeting Six's visor, "Impossible to fight, but you're used to that."

"Uncle Qrow, he can't… fight…" Ruby trailed off, and Six could understand why. The creature came into view, undulating, and its head snapped around to look at them. Even Six flinched slightly at the horror's stare, and Ruby visibly shuddered slightly, "What is that…?"

"Nuckelavee." Qrow grunted, his blade shifting form into a long-handled scythe and the man sliding into a fighting stance, the blade's back nearly touch the ground and the curve of it facing the sky, "Tough bastards, these guys. Slightly regenerative, so you can't whittle them down. Damn smart too, so you kids better watch out."

"That means you'll let us help you, right?" Ruby asked quietly, the creature lumbering towards them while Nora shook Ren's shoulder to bring him back into the moment. Qrow nodded, and she raised her scythe high.

The creature hissed, watching them spread out around it without seeming to care. Ruby was on its right flank, Qrow on its left, Nora in front of it and Ren behind it with Jaune. Six stood back slightly, rifle leveled on its chest. Still, the creature seemed apathetic. It turned its head slowly, almost appraisingly, towards the people surrounding it, and made a low hissing noise. The horse head whinnied, almost like a laugh, and it turned to look at Ren more fully. It turned again, and its eyes lingered on Six when he tried to step to the side and his wounded leg made him stagger in an almost hungry way. He'd felt like a meal in a can once, when Brutes had surrounded him and thought him beaten.

He had that feeling again, and flexed his grip on the rifle lightly on instinct.

It shrieked and turned, both clawed hands lunging out, trying to strike at Ren and Six. The former jumped over the attack, while the latter stepped out of the way. Six raised the rifle and fired a burst, the bullets slamming in a cluster on its torso, and the creature shrieked not because of pain, but in anger. The arm whipped back, sweeping under the Spartan's legs and throwing him to his back. Six sat up quickly, firing three round bursts as he struggled upward. The thing snarled and made to charge, but Qrow and Jaune both dug their weapons into its sides.

The Nuckelavee turned to deal with the flankers, whipping its arms to the side and knocking them away, hissing and snarling viciously. Jaune slammed into a building and sank into a crouch, while Qrow rolled across the ground before coming up on his knees. Nora charged in with a hammer held high, and it plucked her from the ground and flung her into Ren in one easy motion, the duo collapsing in a pile of limbs and weapons.

Six emptied the rest of his clip into the creature's horse-head, and it roared, throwing both of it's its arms at him. He ducked under the first, but the second caught him around his bad leg and squeezed before pulling him from the ground, spinning him around and slamming him into the stone floor. The stones cracked as he felt his ribs do the same, but the creature wasn't done. Its other arm wrapped around his chest and lifted him again, throwing him bodily into the small tower behind him hard enough to knock the building down on top of the Spartan.

A slab of wall landed on the Spartan's back, and he struggled upwards with the weight on him, "Dot, analysis."

"Four broken ribs, along with prior wounds and rapidly rising blood toxicity. Official recommendation: Withdraw from combat." After a second, Dot continued when he pulled himself out from under the building and lay on his back, chest burning and sweating furiously, "Enemy analysis: Weapons, ineffective. Tactics, ineffective as deployed. Recommend overwhelming force of firepower. Available equipment, ineffective for tactics needed."

"Revise, include Nora's grenades." He ordered, staggering upright and drawing his magnum. He didn't know where his rifle was, so he'd have to make do. As always. He pressed a hand against his side, and it came away violet. Not a good sign, to be sure. Then his eyes fell on his grenade. "Belay that, I have my own plan."

Qrow was slammed into a wall, and ducked under a clawed arm as the creature's entire torso spun impossibly, and Six almost rolled his eyes at it. The Huntsmen took one look at Six's side, the bandages slowly purpling on his leg and stomach, and shook his head, "Go sit the hell down, Spartan. Poison's killin' you, and I'm not putting that on anyone else's conscience."

"I have a plan," Six said, raising the grenade pointedly, "Explosives might be able to stick it in place long enough for you to land some more considerable damage on it."

"We could collapse something on it, that should keep it down long enough. Maybe." Qrow grumbled to himself a couple times before shaking his head and calling out. "Nora! Ruby! Lure it to a building so we can pin it down!" He looked at the Spartan again, "You go find a hiding place, you can't keep fighting."

"I'm still combat effective" Six tried to argue, but Qrow just rolled his eyes. "I'm going to fight, you need to accept it," Six pressed. "There's no time to argue."

Qrow watched Nora and Ruby harrying its front for a few seconds before going to join them, ignoring the Spartan. Six sighed tiredly, weighing the grenade in his hands for a moment before speaking to Dot, "Toxicity levels?"

"High." She answered quietly, voice almost sad while the two watched as Nora and Ruby tried their hardest to force the Nuckelavee towards one of the tallest buildings still standing. Jaune charged forwards, slamming his shield into its flank in an attempt to knock it back. The Nuclevee's arm whipped down and plucked him, hurling him bodily into the ground hard enough that he bounced across the old stone. The Knight climbed to one knee, panting and using his sword to try and support himself. He managed to stand just before the creature threw Ren at him, collapsing the blonde under the weight of his friend while they tried to untangle their limbs. "They are not strong enough to shift the creature, Noble Six. It's too large."

"And what about me?" He asked, setting the grenade on his hip and checking the magazine on his Magnum, "Do I have enough in me to get it in position?"

"The odds are slim, Noble Six." She said quietly again, "You'd need a large margin of luck to have a chance of succeeding. Given the information Qrow offered..."

"Anything with luck involved will fail." He said, nodding and reaching up to draw his knife, "I have another plan."

He pressed a hand to his side again, palm coming away stained in purple and looked down at his body. The bandages on his leg and stomach were stained, a mixture of red and purple turning them almost black, and he could feel his leg give when he put too much weight on it. Distantly, he could feel the pangs of pain in his leg and chest, enough there to overcome the pain stoppers that had been integrated into his body. His body was failing, he was down to two magazines for his Magnum, and his knife was chipped along the edge.

It'd have to do.

He watched Nora's hammer slam into the creature's side, and it buckled. The back leg slammed into her chest and hurled her away, pink sparking around her body when she it the ground. Six remembered Tyrian, and could guess at what that meant. So he charged in, rushing past Ruby and slamming his shoulder into the beast and rolling under it, the creature's claws scrabbling against stone in an effort to follow him under the horse-body. He leapt onto its back, using its spikes to haul himself onto its back and burying his knife to the hilt in the side of the human-like torso where it met the horse.

It hissed, arms whipping around and a single claw burying into his back just under the armored plate. He grunted, holding on when the creature hooked the finger under the armor and inside his flesh to try to pull him off. When he started sawing into its body, it started kicking angrily and bucking, trying to throw him off. When he'd gouged deep enough, he let the knife drop and fished out his grenade, arming it and burying it inside the creature's body.

Then he let go, and the Nuckelavee flung him into the air with a roar and a hiss. He slammed into the lone tree at the center of the town's ruins, crunching through the bark and into the ground with the wooden thing on top of him. Staring at the sky, he heard the grenade go off and the Nuckelavee fall silent.

Ruby was leaning over him almost instantly, petals flying past her, "Six! You're bleeding!"

He chuckled dryly and passed out.

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 **Twisted ~ Done! As always, if you want more chapters, bigger and faster, consider becoming a Supporter. I appreciate all of them immensely, and given our present plans for a studio of our own and a house as well, we could use it. In one month, you will also get to begin helping us select Lets Plays, Stories made with original content, and more. You may even voice act for some of the latter as well, if you like the idea.**

 **Also as always, please drop a review to let me know how you liked it. After now, everything will be original. Even when V5 comes out. A such, the chapters will start getting longer from here on out.**


	8. Accolades

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 **QUICK NOTE : SORRY FOR THE DELAYS, I WAS INCREDIBLY ILL OVER THE WEEKEND PAST AS WELL AS FRIDAY AND THURSDAY. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE LATENESS.**

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? Even a dollar could help immensely!**_

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 **The Fish King:**

 **Twisted ~ Agreed on most counts, and wait and see for others. Glad you're enjoying yourself.**

 **Gizmo Gear:**

 **Twisted ~ We always have choices. Sometimes, they just suck.**

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The next thing Six felt was a cool breeze, and heat on his face and neck. Both sensations he hadn't felt since Reach, and both he knew he shouldn't be feeling.

Not in his armor.

When he forced his eyes open, he found he was in a pale room with a fan overhead spinning slowly. That would be the source of the cool breeze. Turning, he saw a window that looked out onto the sun beaming down from a blue sky. That'd be the warmth he'd felt. Looking around, he noted the room's features. A few small chairs, too flimsy to block the door if he need to. A small cot which he laid on, a thin blanket covering him and multiple tubes feeding into his arm. It was a one-person room, which he noted as odd. Why would they give him a room all to himself? That made no sense.

Looking down, he took a quick appraisal of what he was wearing. Or more importantly, what he _wasn't_ wearing. His MJOLNIR and bodysuit were both missing, replaced by loose fitting green pants that felt synthetic. Likely standard fare for wherever he was. is entire body was covered in bandages. Pressing his bandaged off hand to the stab wound in his side, he nodded in approval when he felt no pain. Even the dull signature he was used to feeling felt far back in his mind. His skin was pale white, the lack of sun on his body for so long a clear culprit, and his Augmentation scars spider-webbed across his body haphazardly. Curious, he reached up to touch his head, feeling the short hair under his fingers for the first time in years, and sighing as he ran his fingers through it.

A weakness he only admitted himself to indulge in for a moment.

He heard the door creak open, and Ruby's voice as she stepped in, "You heard doctor Polen, one at a time until he's awake." She turned, squeaking slightly when she saw him starting to rise from the bed and flashing towards him, "Stay in the bed, you're hurt! You can't just hop up like that! Did you pull out your IV? You need that! Probably? I'll get a nurse to come put it back in!"

The Spartan watched her fret, trying her hardest to push him back onto the bed. The gesture was… ineffectual, at the very best. The girl was almost short enough to be half his height when he was in his armor, and certainly nowhere near his mass even without that armor, and couldn't budge him. He looked up when Qrow poked his head in the door, smiling at him brightly, "Up already? Damn, that's pretty fast considerin' you almost lost your leg."

"Uncle Qrow, you don't just tell people that!" She turned, looking him up and down when he chuckled before stomping on his foot and turning back around. "And you! Back in the bed!" Six looked over her head head at Qrow while she glared and pouted, who shrugged. The Spartan eventually sighed, laying back down on the bed. Ruby pulled his covers up to his waist, clearly upset once again with him. He was about to ask when she pinched his arm, "No more blowing yourself up, Six. Even if it was only almost."

"Yeah. You gave everyone a fit, givin' a damn Grimm a rodeo and poppin' a grenade in its hide like that. Never seen someone try somethin' like that and end up anything but dead. Damn kids wouldn't even let us split the bounty. They wanted you to get all the Lien," Qrow sighed, plopping onto the foot of his bed and fishing out his flask.

"He needed it to get his armor fixed and for the medical bills, Uncle Qrow. You know that." She thumped him as she walked by, dragging a chair from the corner of the room to the head of the bed, "Ignore him, Six, he's just bitter because he can't tell the nurses about how he killed a Nuckelavee."

"That creature had a bounty posted for it?" Six asked curiously, crossing his arms in an effort to quell his discomfort over being unarmored and looking to Qrow for an answer.

"Yeah. Been around Mistral's border towns for years, apparently. Wipin' out villages, destroying outposts, the usual shit." He gestured at Six with his flask, shaking it a couple times for emphasis, "A stranglehold on the Kingdom's expansion, way they say it. You kill one of 'em, or somethin' like 'em? A decent payout and free drinks in bars all 'round. Plus a few other less palatable places to mention with my niece in the room."

"Ew!" Ruby squeaked after a second, the older man chuckling quietly for a few seconds and leaning back on the bed comfortably. "That's gross, Uncle Qrow. Really, really gross."

"I suppose bounties make sense in that regard," Six said, stopping the two from arguing further, turning to look out the window. The UNSC sometimes placed bounties on Covenant and Insurrectionists who had shown themselves to be especially problematic to them. He'd even executed a few personally, once or twice. "Do either of you know if my armor can be returned to me? I feel… not myself without it on."

"Down in the workshop." Qrow answered quickly, "The paint was mismatched and the undersuit was damaged. They're buffin' out the scratches and putting on a fresh coat of green. All paid for from your bounty," he assured Six with a wave of his hand. "Nora's looking around with her little boytoy and Jaune, tryin' to find someone that'd make a weapon you can use. Let ya get set up again."

"He's not her boytoy, Uncle Qrow, they're not… together together." The man grunted, shaking his head at her and Ruby turned to Six, "What kind of rifles do you like? I know you had an automatic before."

Behind her, Qrow paused mid-sip with his flask in his hand, eyes wide and staring at Six. Odd.

"I'm good with almost anything," Six answered, "though I prefer automatic weapons and shotguns." Qrow shook his head rapidly behind his niece and making a gesture of sliding his fingers across his throat and looking terrified. As he spoke, it began to escalate, the man's arms flailing in front of him, making X's, cross shapes, waving motions and more. "I'm better when I'm able to close with the enemy without losing mid-range capability, so those kinds of weapons are preferable to me to cater to my style."

"Bad move…" Qrow whispered, taking a drink from his flask and settling into a chair. "Now you've set her off..."

Ruby then proceeded to launch into an hour long lecture on the differences between Pulse Rifles, Slug Rifles and Sniper Rifles. Six considered himself a patient man, but even he felt his eyes drooping by the end. Eventually, the girl finally paused to catch a breath and the door opened quietly, a small man in an orange uniform stepping in. The uniform itself was padded at the knees, hips and elbows. A small pack on the small of his back that looked to be made of leather, and a thick leather multiloop belt with tools wrapped around his stomach. Metal plates were placed in layers along his forearms and the fronts of his legs, looking closer to protection for welders than armor for soldiers. Small burns and marks that looked distinctly civilian completed the picture. On his right shoulder, a engraved bronze pauldron rested with a symbol engraved into the grey metal and painted in bronze. A round shield and two crossed spears atop it, a hammer under both and sticking out below the shield. "Sirs, ma'am, Technician Parke, at your service."

"In Mistral, Technicians fix Hunter gear for them, so they don't have to 'waste their time' on it," Qrow said sarcastically, causing the Technician to grimace. Qrow shrugged. "What? Call 'em like I see 'em."

"I would never dare to challenge the beliefs of a Huntsmen, Sir," The technician said quietly, turning to address the Spartan, "Sir, your armor has been repaired and can be delivered to your room at your leisure. One of my subordinates took note of the differences in paint between your helmet and the rest, and the lack of emblem on the armor. Would you like us to repaint the armor in any way, or place your emblem on it somewhere?"

"My emblem?" Six asked quietly, appraising the man's stance cooly and raising an eyebrow at the confusion he felt. The man stood militaristically, but not like a soldier. Or rather, a soldier of the field. Base technicians, probably, or maybe a field technician.

"Yes, sir," he said, nodding slightly and waiting for a response. After a moment, he looked between the three in the room and swallowed nervously, "I, uh, I had assumed it was on the helmet, sir. That you'd lost it somewhere and this was a replacement you didn't have time to modify."

Close enough to the truth, in the Spartan's opinion.

"I don't have a symbol, Parke," Six said simply. Ruby leaned in and gave him a surprised look. He caught her eye and blinked. "What?"

"I thought the same thing. I thought you'd lost your helmet and it had the symbol on it." She shook her head, leaning back and twiddling her thumbs anxiously. At the sudden attention from the three men in the room, maybe? She seemed shy enough, now Six thought on it. "Everyone has a symbol. I mean, at least soldiers and Hunters do. Some normal people too…"

Six looked at her for a long moment before sighing and forcing a smile, "Then maybe I should pick one." She perked up, smiling slightly, and he turned to the Technician, "I'd enjoy it being repainted, yes. But not green. Black, with gold highlights on the edges of the armor and visor."

"Yes sir. I'll report once the job is complete and accept your symbol then. It'll take a few hours to adequately buff off the current paint and apply the new one, and then just a few more minutes to place the symbol wherever you prefer." He nodded to each of them in turn before turning to leave, with Qrow standing up shortly after.

"I'm headin' into town. Gonna grab a drink." Qrow shoved his hands in his pockets. "You two iron out his symbol and get it down there. And you," he gestured to Six with a jerk of his head, "Get a shirt on first, yeah? Welders and stuff down there, kickin' out sparks and the like. Could burn you."

Six nodded. "Ask a nurse to deliver one." Qrow nodded and left, the door swinging closed behind him with a muted thud. "So," Ruby started, kicking her legs slowly and grinning, "Any ideas on your emblem?"

"First, a question." She straightened and leaned forward attentively, "What's the importance of an emblem? The UNSC placed little value on them, at least the kinds you seem to mean. I'd like to know what I'm doing before I make commitments."

"An emblem… an emblem is like an expression, I guess." She chewed on her lip slightly, resting her elbow in her hand and tapping her chin in thought. "It's… something that says something about you. The things you've done, who you are, what you've accomplished." None of those were things he'd enjoy glorifying. "Colors matter too. It should match, or it should stand out, but not be in between."

Six had a few ideas, "Could you get me some paper and a pen, Ruby?"

It only took a few minutes to sketch out his idea. A rough facsimile of the Nuckelavee's head over his rifle and a longer version of his knife, almost a sword in itself. That was over top of of a round shield. The Nuckelavee was colored black, of course, and the shield stark white, just the paper showing through. The rifle was labeled to be green, he didn't have the color with him, and the knife silver.

He showed it to Ruby, who smiled curiously. "Could you explain what it means?" He raised an eyebrow a her and she shrugged, leaning back in the chair and lifting a silver piece of metal up to him, "This one's mine. A rose, for my last name. Red and black because it matches, and on fire because…," she trailed off, swallowing and looking lost for a moment, "I-I just like the look. Anyways, you should be able to explain it."

"The Nuckelavee is because it's the first creature I've killed to pose such…" he rolled his neck and smirked, "problems. The shield because, well, I have a shielding system in my armor. The knife and rifle are because those weapons saved my life more times than I have lived years, the former more than the latter."

"And the colors?"

"White for contrast, like you said. Green because of… a friend of mine." Jun. He quickly took the paper back, and scratched in another instruction. Highlight in orange. Jorge. "The highlighting is the same. The rest is self explanatory."

A nurse pushed open the door, the small woman smiling apologetically, "Apologies, sir and ma'am. I am not interrupting anything important, I hope?" They both assured her it was fine, and she pulled a cart in, cloth bundled on top of it. Blankets and large gloves made for welding, "Apologies, sir, but we don't have anything in your size."

A few minutes later, and he had it wrapped around his torso protectively, secured by bandages at the shoulders and waist. Adequate for his needs. The arms were covered as well, the cloth tucked into the gloves to shield him from sparking metal. And when he reached the workshop, he understood why. Once-white walls were blackened and scorched in places, and men dressed as Parke had been earlier working on weapons, armored suits, even motorized vehicles in places.

At the back, he saw his armor on a small platform raised,with pneumatic arms on the walls holding the pieces up. It was a lot like the Spartan arming centers he'd seen and used on Reach, except lined along the wall instead of in a small circle, clearly a workshop rather than an armory. Several Technicians were working on the pieces of his armor, using small handles on the arms to turn them and inspecting them. He noted that either all were men, or the uniform hid gender well. Purposeful, or a side effect of the job he couldn't tell.

"Sir," one said, turning as he approached them. It took a moment to realize it was Parke under the large helmet he was wearing, a cross between a Marine Scout helmet and a welding mask, with goggles stuck to the front of it. "Your armor is almost ready, sir. We're just checking it over in preparation for reassembly. Would you like to personally examine the pieces before we reassemble them?"

"I assume you did nothing to the internal components?" Parke shook his helmeted head, and Six clasped his arms behind him, "Then no. You're professionals. I trust you to do your job."

He saw the man's shoulders and chest swell in pride before he spoke, "Thank you, sir. We all trust you and the other Hunters with our lives, sir. It will mean a lot to the others to hear that you said such a thing about us." Six nodded, and Parke stepped forward, lifting the front of his mask up and cupping his hands over his mouth, "Alright boys, last checks! Get it running!"

"Here, mister Parke, sir." Ruby said quietly, the man looking down slightly at the girl and accepting the paper. He looked almost… shocked that she'd speak like that, and Six's eyes narrowed at the noticed detail. "It's his symbol."

"Where do you-"

"Each shoulder, big enough to identify if you can manage it. Also…" He trailed off, a thought on the tip of his tongue, "I was wondering if you could put something else on the chest for me. I would count it as a personal favor, Technician Parke."

"Of course, sir." He said quickly, smiling politely at him. "We live to serve the Hunter class, sir. Whatever you desire, we will do what we can."

"Could you put the designatio three one two on the chest. Left side, big enough to see and in white." The man nodded, striding forward to grab a couple men to do it.

"You want your name on your armor?" He looked down at Ruby and nodded, and she grimaced slightly and turned to watch them work on the chestpiece for a few seconds. "I don't like how these guys treat us…"

"Caste system," he said, thinking of the Grunts and their seeming reverence for the Elites and Brutes in that order. "The world is dangerous, and Mistral appears to be a place like my home. Safety above everything, including freedom." He turned his head to look at him, smiling slightly in an effort to comfort the girl, "They have their duties and work together to survive."

"But that's…"

"Necessary," Six said quietly, watching the girl's reaction. Her eyes scrunched and she grimaced, a sign he was learning meant she was angry at him, and he sighed. "Life is harsh, sometimes. They seem happy and alive, and until something changes in this world, that is all one can hope to attain."

"But that's not enough, is it?" she asked, crossing her arms and looking up at him. She had an odd look on her face, like she knew something or… meant something. "People can't just fight to survive. They should be able to live."

He was about to ask what she meant when Parke returned, looking between the two hesitantly, "Speak freely, Parke." Six grunted, turning towards him fully.

"Sir, the additional detailing is complete and your bodysuit is ready." A couple technicians were rolling a cart up behind them and he gestured at them. They lifted up the padded black suit, dark silver wrapping around the stomach area. He felt slightly displeased at it, and when Parke spoke he realized he'd shown it on his face, "We couldn't replicate the material of the bodysuit, but we had some Atlas materials that were almost as good. We had a recoloring process done to alter the color so it would-"

"It is perfectly acceptable, Parke," he interrupted, patting the man on the shoulder and stepping forward to take the suit from the other Technicians, "I require this suit to wear the armor. Repairs are paramount for function, not aesthetic. Is there a place where I can change?"

"Uh, yes, sir. Just this way."

He followed the man to a small area that resembled a locker room, if you removed the lockers. A bin in the back was waiting, presumably for his used clothes once he was done. After fives minutes, he was back in his suit, comfortably encased in the second skin once more. Six sighed and ran a hand through his hair one more time before leaving the room and climbing up onto the small platform.

It took forty five minutes before they had figured out how to put the armor back on him properly, and he stood there patiently while they worked. It was more than reasonable, he thought. They'd had to have been the best and brightest at this just to figure out how to take it off him without destroying it in the first place, and he certainly wouldn't have been much help. Finally, he flexed his gauntleted hands and stretched his limbs, feeling out the armor to make sure it was all running properly. Parke handed him his helmet, smiling, and Six slid it on.

After a few seconds time, the HUD systems started kicking on, and he heard Dot's voice, "Noble Six."

"Aunty dot," he replied, striding forward and dropping heavily to the ground next to Ruby, unmuting his microphone, looking down at her through his visor, "I am glad to be properly dressed once more."

"Good, because I think you might need it," she jerked a thumb over her shoulder, smiling, and Six followed it.

A man in a well-pressed uniform, brown with bronze edges and three golden laurels off the left shoulder. A silver shoulder pad sat on each arm, one under the laurels and the other bearing another symbol. Three spears atop a shield with a laurel around it. His forearms and legs were layered in silver metal protectively, polished to a shine almost even in the dark room. At his side, a short and wide sword hung off his hip with a black revolver under his right shoulder, held by a shoulder-strap he'd seen Military Police wear. Heavy black boots with the legs tucked into them and medals hanging off his chest under a well trimmed beard completed the image for Six easily. A high ranking officer, with an easy face.

Behind him, a young woman in a similar uniform was carrying something round with two long rods on it underneath a black cloth. Her hair was black and cut short, and her armor matched the officers, except hers was bronze and didn't cover her upper thighs. Her face was hard, staring forward with stiff shoulders. A scar curved around her left eye, marring the pale flesh. A soldier, through and through.

"Six, I presume?" the man asked, the woman stopping just behind him. The Spartan nodded mutely, and he smiled at him, "Good. I heard you'd awoken, and apologize for not getting here sooner. I had to deal with a few things, and modify our gift to you slightly after I heard you'd changed your armor's colors."

"I apologize for the issues," Six said quietly, looking at the woman behind him for a moment before returning to the man, "Might I ask your names, Sir and Ma'am?"

"Ah, where are my manners?" he laughed, waving a hand in front of him and shaking his head. Trying too hard to be funny, Six felt. "I am General Franklin Copperbottom. I lead the garrison forces defending Mistral's city borders against bandits and Grimm and the like."

"And you?" he asked, looking at the woman.

She blinked before answering, clearly surprised at being addressed, "I am Lieutenant Anna Nikos, sir. Adjutant and assistant to the General, sir."

"N-Nikos?" Ruby whispered, the woman turning an eye on her, standing beside Six and raising a hand to her mouth.

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 **Twisted ~ As listed above, I was very, very ill over the week preceding this one. Sick for a good six days straight, mostly sleeping for four of those. So I am sorry for the delays, greatly so. Anyways, as always, if you enjoyed this chapter or have any suggestions, please drop a Review. Let me know. And if you want to support me and my channel, look up the Temple Walkers on YT, from there you can give us support by way of Views or donations. Both are appreciated. We get our studio back in two weeks and videos will start coming out, and we're looking into getting our own house and potentially building a studio of our very own soon.**


	9. The New Locale

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 **Twisted ~ So, the week of setup, cleaning and sorting that I didn't know we had to do is finally over. Bloody turned out they'd gone in, removed everything, renovated, and then piled up all the equipment in one bloody room. Didn't even clean up everything from the renovating. Up side, I have some new tools they left behind.**

 **Don't tell them. They're nice tools. I like them.**

 **Anyways, that took forever. They did knock off a few hundred from our bill since their people didn't clean up properly. Essentially comped us for the week we had to take to clean everything and re-setup everything, plus two days next week. Nice enough of them.**

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? Even a dollar could help immensely! Ten patrons means three uploads a week guaranteed, barring illness. Also, visit our other upload site, Vid dot Me, and consider dropping a subscription there as well.**_

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 **The Critic :**

 **First off, don't worry, Six won't let people get ganked or nothing because 'muh morals.' Not the direction I am aiming at. Secondly, on the emblem, it's my way of finding a merger between the relative uniformity of a military outfit and the way Spartans paint their armor, customize their gear, and actually have emblems in some cases.**

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"Yes." The woman said shortly, raising an eyebrow and giving Ruby a once over with a small frown, grimacing when she apparently couldn't place her. "Is my surname of some concern to yourself, Ma'am?"

"I… had a friend named Pyrrha at Beacon," Ruby muttered, looking off to the side and rubbing her right shoulder with her other hand nervously. Six's eyes narrowed worriedly behind his helmet slightly and he turned more to face her, worrying at her being distraught and fling away her reaction in his head for later, in case she tried to hide it. She was normally so upbeat. "She was fighting during the Fall of Beacon…"

"Beacon truly and fully fell, then," General Copperbottom said quietly, shaking his head, "We had heard various reports from other forces, mainly Atlesian, that such had occurred. Due to their actions before the CCT went down, however, we discounted much of it. We thought at least Beacon was still standing. It would appear not, however."

"No, it was destroyed…" Ruby looked at Anna for a second, the woman's jaw working anxiously. The only part of the soldier that failed, something Six was more than familiar with. "Pyrrha tried to stop the one responsible. She fought her so my friends could escape, and I tried… I tried to save her but…"

"You failed," The soldier said quietly, closing her eyes and bowing her head slightly. "You were unable to save my daughter during Beacon's fall. Correct?"

"Yes…" She muttered quietly as he looked between them, "I-I'm sorry, I tried to get there but I was too slow, and there were _so many_ Grimm all over the place, and the White Fang were there so the teachers couldn't help, and Atlas was fighting its robots and their navy was gone and…and I couldn't make it."

"She was a Huntress and a soldier," The general said seriously, turning and resting a hand on the woman's shoulder and looking into her eyes, "You have leave for two days, once our business concludes here. Go to the wall and remove your daughter's Mark. Take it home, grieve, and return to duty in three days time."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." She shook herself slightly and looked at Ruby with a small smile, nodding appreciatively. "I have been unable to find out where she is, or what happened to her, until now. Thank you for ferrying this information to me, even if you hadn't intended to."

"Moving back to the business at hand, Hunters. I would like to extend you, Six, a personal honor on behalf of Mistral itself." With a gesture to the now calm looking Lieutenant, she reached across the circle she was carrying and pulled back the cloth that was covering it. A round shield rested on her hands under the cloth, a rifle resting on top of it. The shield was colored black and circled in gold, like his armor. The rifle itself was the same, the body black and the external components a duller gold, almost bronze. "Traditionally in Mistral, soldiers and commoners who show themselves to be exemplary combatants and warriors are granted the honorary title of Hoplite. They are then counted among all the Hoplite, and their symbol is forged in iron and hung on the wall that guards our northern borders of the Kingdom."

"Pyrrha had those." Ruby said quietly, reaching out to touch the shield gingerly.

"My daughter was a champion of Mistral, and is known as one who slew a young Behemoth along with a few members of her class who had been sent to hunt a small pack of Beowolves. She was the only survivor of the fight, and was awarded the status a week before she departed for Vale," Anna informed her crisply, watching the girl's hands closely. Almost warily, enough that Six wondered if she'd normally allow it at all.

"Three buttons on the base of the rifle grip serve as toggles, and the weapon shifts at command between the rifle variant, a short-spear and a shortsword." The general continued, lifting the rifle and showing him the small, labeled buttons, "Button one is for the rifle form, two is for the spear and three is for the sword. The shield and blade are made of incredibly rare and expensive metals, and should hold up to anything you encounter. Normally, we offer strength training for the weight of the shield. I doubt you will need it, however."

"I can lift a couple tons easily," Six said by way of explanation, taking the weapon from the man and looking down the sights experimentally, "Are customizations of these weapons available? Or acceptable, given their nature in your… culture."

"Of course. Everyone in the higher echelons of Mistralian society understands completely that a Hunter's weapon is their life, and that they will almost always alter their weapons to suit their own styles." He shrugged, clasping his arms behind his back and smiling comfortably before jerking his head at the workers around them, "Even the assorted riff raff and peasantry understand it, somewhat."

"Where I am from, engineers and technicians are a valued commodity. Anyone can hold a rifle and point it relatively reliably. Not everyone can maintain them, or make them," Six said quietly,., He pressed a button and shifted the rifle in his hands into a sword and nodding in approval. "My people would have traded a thousand officers for one engineer that could make something like this. Or one that could obtain a basic enough understanding of MJOLNIR armor to get a Spartan out of it while wounded, repair it, and get him back into it without understanding a thing about the armor to begin with."

"It can't be that complicated," The general argued, smile dropping into a thinner, more annoyed one, "And besides, it's their duty. To fill it is their lot in life and their joy, as the saying goes."

"'A Mistralian is born to their duty and raised within it, trained to perfect it, and expected to accept it,'" The lieutenant offered in what was an obvious attempt to help them out. "Mistral and your people came from different walks, Hunter. Our ways may well seem wrong to you. But without them we would have died out long, long ago. And without _us_ much of the earliest advances in our shifting weapons would not exist at all."

"Everyone has their cultures, Six," Ruby advised quietly, reaching up to poke his newly armored chest, "You shouldn't try to change their culture like that, especially when it's an entire Kingdom's." Nevermind that he'd been thinking of her words when he was speaking… She looked at the two soldiers, smiling politely and bowing her head,"Thank you, for all your help. He might have died out there if you hadn't helped us. And he needed a good weapon after he lost his, so, um, thank you again for that."

"But of course, my dear. We're just happy to have been of help to you and your fine companion here," the general smiled warmly again, though this time a bit more stiffly, and gestured to Anna. "The shield and weapon are yours, unnamed of course as well, as is the cloak that it came wrapped in. Some don't enjoy wearing cloaks, but it is a cultural gift as well."

Six pressed the weapon in its sword form against his thigh, smiling when it attaches magnetically and taking the shield. He kept on his lower back, within easy enough reach. The cloak was a warm black externally, and dull grey inside. Muted colors, to prevent any clashing with uniforms or outfits he supposed. It clipped across his chest and looped up over his shoulders, clearly to prevent impairment in a fight, and the tail of the cloak reached just above the backs of his knees.

"And finally, here," The man said, holding out a small, leather wallet to him, "Your remaining Lien, after medical charges, repairs to your armor and so on. We discounted everything, of course, but still. Your armor came at particular cost, I'm afraid."

"Thank you, sir," Six grunted, watching the man nod and turn to walk back towards the exit. When Six turned back to Ruby, she was smiling widely, and he sighed tiredly before asking, "Why are you smiling like that, Ruby?"

"We're cape buddies!" She practically squealed excitedly, grabbing the edges of her cloak and flapping them like wings at her sides. The Spartan rolled his eyes and shook his head, sighing at the girl. "What? It's awesome! None of my friends had capes! It was just me, but now you have one too!"

"Let's go find the others, then," Six said. "Let's tell them I'm rested, armed, and we may move on at their leisure." He gave her head a brisk pat and made to leave the room, nodding at Parke - or who he thought was Parke, at least, under all the protective gear he was wearing - as he went.

Outside, he finally got to see Mistral up close, and properly take in the sight of it. Curving roads wound past the hospital/armory he'd just left, disappearing and reappearing from behind the building. Across the paved road, other structures rose up about three stories, with uniform windows on each side and stairs in the center of each leading in. Several men and women went into and out of the rooms, and all wearing the same uniforms as Parke and his workers. Living quarters, he guess, based on what Parke had implied about Mistralian society. Why bother having the people live far from their work, after all? Many bases he'd been on had been designed similarly. Quarters assigned near their workplaces. But to build civilian cities that way struck him as… odd.

The living areas stretched out towards the mountain proper. Above them sat a massive wall, curving at the highest points of the mountains and valleys and dotted with towers. He could just barely pick out crenelations, artillery and more, all facing outward and what he assumed to be flak batteries atop the towers, three barreled and pointing upwards as they were.

Turning around, he looked past the hospital itself. The building was at least six stories tall, and just as wide, made of the same off-white stone as the living ones. Small craft buzzed around in the sky, some landing and some departing from the building. Carrying soldiers and Huntsmen out, or in, he couldn't tell.

"You do that a lot." He looked down at Ruby in surprise, the girl looking up at him with a smirk and a tilt of her head.

"Do what, Ruby?" he asked curiously, stepping past her and walking down the street, head swivelling as he took in the samey houses and buildings.

"Look around, take everything in, like you're looking for a threat. It's weird." He turned to look at her, and she shrugged, staring at her feet and stepping around cracks in the pavement, "It's fine, I mean. Just meant that you must be looking for _something_ , you know?"

"Evaluating the area," he said simply, shrugging when she looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "Pick buildings, and imagine varying scenarios of both defense and attack against them. Or, like I was doing, try to gather information on how the locals go about living their lives." He gestured at two people relaxing on the stairs in front of their building, a man and a woman with their work-helmets resting on the ground next to them, "That helps you understand what they want, and that is always a benefit."

"You're weirdly talkative today." She quipped, smirking when he shrugged and surging ahead of him, "Follow me, I know where we're headed."

He left the odd sensation of feeling watched unsaid. Mainly to avoid ruining the good mood she had. Up the street behind him, and old black man pushed off a building's side, extinguishing a cigar on the wall as he did.

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 **Twisted ~ As always, drop me a Review with your thoughts. Also, to the man that went to my YT and said hi, hello to you too! As always, helping out as a Supporter will make doing this easier, and so will just helping out as a viewer on YT. Thanks for reading.**


	10. Separations

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? Even a dollar could help immensely! Ten patrons means three uploads a week guaranteed, barring illness. Also, visit our other upload site, Vid dot Me, and consider dropping a subscription there as well.**_

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 **Killjoy :**

 **Twisted ~ The point is that Jaune, and everyone else, have it rubbed in. I won't say why, but that is in fact part of the point.**

 **The Fish King :**

 **Twisted ~ Kind of, yeah. But less Spartan and more a rifleman with a small shield for cover, ala Pavise Handgunners of the Byzantine empire. For context, during the advent of smaller matchlock firearms, soldiers would form ranks using large pavise shields and crabine-esque weapons to skirmish with minimal risk.**

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Something was off, Six felt, as they pushed open the main doors to Haven Academy. Reaching down, he lifted his sword and shifted it into its rifle form, stepping past the group and standing next to Qrow with it held comfortably in his arms. "I have a bad feeling. Zero contacts on my radar systems."

"What's that thing's range?" Qrow asked without turning, instead managing to look uninterested entirely in any of the happenings around him.

"Far enough that I should detect movement in any of the nearby buildings," Six answered shortly, disabling his speaker for a moment, "Dot, VISR mode. Scan for heat signatures if you can."

"Your recovered helmet is specialised and can scan for heat signatures, movement, and metals of varying types up to fifty yards," she offered helpfully, an icon on the side of his HUD lighting up.

"Do it then," he ordered.

Metal reinforcements lining some of the walls, demolition charges, (automatically marked on his HUD), and various weapons, or what looked like them, hanging on walls. What was lacking was any sign of movements, aside from a door wobbling back and forth where it had been left open.

Finally, the pings ended, and he turned to Qrow, "Movement straight ahead, thirty yards. Single target, appears unarmed and unarmored, sitting at a desk. Staff, probably."

"How do you know that?" Ruby asked quietly, looking first at the rifle and then Six.

"VISR scan of the building," he answered, rolling his eyes behind his helmet and turning to Qrow, "Ord- Suggestions?"

Qrow chuckled and strode forward, Six just behind him and the others trailing further. The drunk didn't hesitate at the door, yanking it open, the bearded man on the other side leaping in surprise. "Q-Qrow! You couldn't knock?"

"Nope," he complained, the group stopping in front of the desk across from him as he nervously stepped around it. "You were supposed to meet us at the gate, Lionheart. You weren't there, so we thought something might have happened."

He fished a clock out of his pocket, making a show of flinching and looking apologetic. "Ah, I'm sorry. I must have lost track of time," he chuckled, scratching at his beard and easing into his seat comfortably. "But, uh, should we really talk with the children and this," he gave Six a once over and swallowed nervously, "rather large man here?"

"They already know everything important. The Maidens, magic, the works." The man visibly flinched again, this one appearing far more honest than the last, and opened his mouth to protest.

"Six," Dot started, the Spartan muting his speakers while the two went back and forth and turning slightly to the side, "I am detecting outbound signals originating from this room, mainly passive ones, probably from security suites. An inbound signal has attempted contact ten times already however."

"Personal device, possibly?" he asked, finger sliding into the trigger guard instinctively. Prudence, mainly, if anything happened he'd put rounds into 'Lionheart' first and foremost and then react to whatever threat there was.

"Negative. The channel appears to be encrypted, and isn't directed at the personal device in the man's jacket. It is instead routed along the same signal as the outbound one, piggybacked and concealed onto it." After a second and in a quieter voice, the AI added, "The security forces in Mistral and Haven Academy would have no reason or desire to use piggybacked signals. It would be easier to have their own, and the outbound signal is evidence that they use their own."

"Monitor it," he ordered, turning to look at Ruby and her friends as they relaxed into a couch for a moment, gripping the rifle more firmly, "Try to piggyback it to the source, if you can."

"This Kingdom is in shambles, Qrow. As soon as possible isn't when you want it to be, it's when I can convince the Council that I need Huntsmen more than they do." The old man sighed, resting his head on a few of his fingers. "These days, bandit tribes don't rank very high on their priority list."

"We can go ourselves, then," Qrow argued, leaning down on the desk and into the man's personal space, "You and I are trained, veteran Huntsmen. These kids aren't pushovers either, and Six…" he turned his head to look at the Spartan, gesturing at the Headmaster in a manner he took to be a request for permission. Six nodded, and the man turned back, "Six is a veteran of a war of his own, and not only did he kill one of _her_ men, a scorpion Faunus, but he also took out the Nuckelavee."

Lionheart was silent for a few seconds, fingers drumming on the table, "Impressive enough, but I have had four men and women from this Academy alone die who have slain thousands of Grimm. Members of the Lokhoi as well, almost all of them. We need numbers as well, and these children won't be able to stand in a fight against the Branwen tribe's numbers." He gestured to Ruby, easily the smallest and frailest of them, "We already lost one Rose, Qrow, I won't send another to die. Especially one so young and untrained."

"Hey!" she squeaked offendedly seemingly out of sheer reaction, flinching back and looking upset. A dead loved one, perhaps? She wasn't young enough to have lost many comrades, and likely not to have them close enough to be on the verge of tears merely at a _mention_ of them passing.

Jaune was quick to step past Qrow, wrapping an arm around the small girl and hugging her before glaring at the old man, "That was uncalled for, sir. You obviously know something and you hurt Ruby with it."

"As a philosopher once said, 'a broken heart, may one day mend, yet a broken body, is only an end.' I will gladly hurt her feelings to save her life, young man." He turned his eyes on Qrow, swallowed nervously and marshalled a stern face, "Even if it makes you angry, Qrow."

Six understood the sentiment, in a way. He'd seen enough Marines and Troopers die young and brash that eventually, he stopped letting them on his missions. It offended them, and clearly hurt them, but not as much as a bullet or plasma shot. Stepping forward, he said as much. "I agree, as much as I hate the methods. Better to hurt feelings now than bury her in a few days."

"But we have to-"

"Which is why I am willing to help, in any way you require, to get us where we need to be." Six said, cutting across before Qrow could get angry and looking at him. "I won't let my team get thrown to their deaths again, Qrow. Even for a good cause. I apologize."

After a second, the man pushed off the desk and sighed, shaking his head, "S'fine, Six. I don't hold it against ya, if I'd been through the shit you have…" He shook his head, chuckling dryly and wagging a pointed finger at him, "Well, ain't nobody else I'd listen to."

"Thank you, Qrow," the Spartan said politely, inclining his head and fighting the urge to salute before turning bodily to the Headmaster once again, "My offer stands."

"You'd be working under me directly, you know. And against the Grimm," the older man said seriously, standing and leaning forward on the desk, braced on his fingers, "I heard the reports that you lacked Aura to protect you, so I hope you have more than bravado to back up your offer."

"The man essentially rode a Nuckelavee until it exploded, Leo," Qrow argued hotly, clearly fed up by now with the man's hesitancy, "And I'll back him up too, so cut him some slack. Or at least as much as Oz ever cut _you_ in the bad old days."

"You always bring that up…" Lionheart sighed, shaking his head and turning around to gaze out the window with his arms behind his back, "Very well, then. I'll request additional Huntsman as well as reports on Grimm activity. No guarantees, of course, but-"

"If we cut 'em down in numbers, we might get help sooner," Qrow snapped at him, shrugging when Ruby thumped his arm and shook her head at him aggravatedly.

"Well, yes," Lionheart said with a heavy sigh, "I could… also use help against other, smaller bandit tribes as well. To rob Raven of more fighters later, if nothing else, but while fighting Grimm is honorable… This would be…" he sighed, seeking the words, "Not as much."

Wet work, Six concluded instantly, turning to look at the others' confused expressions. Minus Qrow who looked downright apocalyptic, opening his mouth to obviously rip into the man. Six stepped between him and the desk, the man's odd colored eyes boring into his visor as he pushed him back until he relented and Six turned to the Headmaster, "Dispatch the others against the Grimm. It sounds like you need a wet works specialist, and I am one. But…" he tilted his head at Ruby, the Headmaster looking over his shoulder, "I work alone in that field. A hyper lethal vector in his element is unstoppable, but not with additional variables I don't strictly need."

"Wet work?" Jaune asked quietly, Six's eyes closing in frustration. He'd hoped they wouldn't answer, after all. "What's 'wet work'?"

"Means killin' people that are problems to someone," Qrow offered helpfully, fishing out his flask and taking a long drink before shoving it and his hands into his pockets, "He goes in, kills whoever Leo or whoever the hell it is tells him to, comes on back for the next job. About right?"

"Affirmative," Six said snappishly, aggravated at the look he knew Ruby would be giving him, "I have until now managed a ninety-eight percent mission success rate. Virtually one hundred percent, minus recent engagements that weren't true wet work operations."

"How do you mean?" Lionheart asked curiously, turning fully and reaching up to scratch at his beard. "Forgive me, the Council will ask when I make the offer."

"I am not as good as others in a prolonged engagement, or during more… defensive maneuvers." He thought back to the small outpost on Reach which, while still on par for Spartans, was below what he could have done under better situations. "I am excellent at infiltration, assassinations, sabotage and interrogation. While I can, and almost exclusively do, win a field engagement, I prefer to avoid them."

"Six, you promised." Six turned, looking at Ruby, and she stared back with hard silver eyes, much like Qrow had done with his equally strange eyes. "You _promised_ me, and us."

Unlike with Qrow, he balked under her stare and turned away. "This is the best method to secure your objectives, Ruby. This is the best use I have for you and your group, so I will utilise it to the fullest."

"It's not about how useful you are to-"

"Except it is!" he finally snapped, turning to face her hard enough the floor splintered slightly under him from the force of his boots pushing off the ground. "I was _built_ for use, Ruby, not even born. This is what I am." He pointed at them in turn, "I don't judge you for being Huntsmen or Huntresses. I respect it, you are needed and useful. But you're a weapon for killing, just like me." He turned back around, looking at the Headmaster sitting in his seat now and looking quite surprised and mildly frightened, "Get me a list of targets, and I will begin operations immediately."

"Y-Yes, of course, Six," Leo said, stuttering, and Six nodded before turning and storming from the room.

Ruby made to follow, but Qrow grabbed her arm, "Let him go for a bit, pipsqueak. You've been pushing too much, he needs to make some choices and do some thinkin'," he sighed, and let her arm go when he was sure she'd stay, "And… he does kind of have a point too. He's accepting of who you are, and _what_ you are. You only give him half that."

Six was able to hear them, of course, standing at the gate scarcely past a hundred yards, using the signal Dot had managed to get from the man's device to listen in and make sure they'd be okay without his support.

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked lowly, the sound of armor shifting echoing quietly.

"I mean that you all act like killin' is something evil, which it is. But you act like it always is," Qrow said tiredly, shaking his head, "Look, kids, I'd kill Cinder if she were here. Would that make me a monster? Would ya judge me for it after it was said and done?"

"No," Ruby answered first, quietly.

"Then stop doin' it to him," Qrow said simply, "Let him change naturally, or don't, but you can't do it for 'im. He's gotta make up his own mind. And if you each force yourselves on each other like this, trying to determine who is _wrong_ …" Silence reigned for a second, and Qrow continued. "Just… think on it. Now let's head out, I need a damn drink."

Six watched them go, kneeling behind a rock a dozen yards down the wall from the main gate, before standing. He took a step to return to the office when another voice echoed, "We have got to work on your improvisational skills."

"Dot?" he asked quietly, looking back in the direction of the office and sinking back into his hiding place, throwing the cloak over his weapon to prevent a glint being seen before going still as the dead.

"Negative on new contacts on your VISR system." She pinged it anyway on his visual HUD systems, showing the man alone in his office, sitting at his desk, "Confirming the inbound signal as the source of the voice. No change in signal strength or frequency, he must have been listening the entire time."

Not friendly then, in all likelihood. If they had been, why not mention them at the onset for politeness? Or if they were important figures, when they had discussed his uses? His hands tightened on his rifle slightly when Lionheart spoke, "I-I did my best, Doctor Watts., I'm-"

"Don't use my name, you simpleton," the voice sighed tiredly. A common mistake for the teacher then, it would seem. "Honestly, how many times do I have to say that?"

"I'm sorry, Doctor."

"Trace it?" Six asked quietly, activating an in-suit recorder.

"Already attempting that. The signal lacks strength for me to follow it conventionally without noticeable signal interruptions. Detection probable," she said simply, showing the strength of the signal on his HUD's lower part, then adding a second - hers - and showing a probability of detection. Eighty-five percent. "Shall I go ahead, Noble Six?"

"Negative," he said after a few long seconds, slowly sinking lower, "No… Get me another VISR scan of the building, and tag the signal flow pattern on my HUD." She did, and he couldn't help but smile thinly. "Good, now prep some infiltration software."

"May I ask the objective, Noble Six, while I build the program and follow the signal flow?" Dot inquired politely, the extra details disappearing from his HUD and being replaced by multiple VISR pings and overlays.

"Wetwork, Dot," Six answered quietly, sliding the safety off his rifle, "We just need our targets, like we told Lionheart."

"Understood. Working."

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 **After this chapter, I'll be going on Hiatus for this story until I adjust to a new work schedule. Been working on doing that for a while, and only just now got to revisit this title. I also wish to watch the new Volume and adapt to the new information it may present about Mistral as a whole. If you'd like to prevent that, you can always become a Supporter and I'll go between the two stories, Mind Games and this one.**

 **Secondary note, this story features mild butterfly effects. Which is why sentences will be ever so slightly different. It's mainly to help me maintain both stay somewhat in line, between this story and Canon.**


	11. Infiltrating

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 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

 _ **Further, on Vid . Me, if you subscribe you to us as a group, you can support us there and help us with two dollars a month. We'll be starting the Long Dark soon as a main series at the request of a Supporter, and you all can request them - and Fanfictions too, of course - on our P Supporter page. Pm for details, if you wish to help.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy the chapter and, as always, drop a Review, a follow, and subscribe to our other platforms for more, or become a Supporter to support us more directly. We'll be getting a house soon, so extra money can help a lot! Review responses at the bottom, by the way.**_

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 _ **XXX The Delay in getting this chapter is due to my work schedule. I am looking for work elsewhere. If fifty of my fifteen thousand sign up on P Reon, I won't have to and can get back to weekly or better releases XXX**_

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Six left the shiny sword and shield, wrapped in his cloak, inside the first storage locker he found outside a classroom down the hall he'd been hiding in after leaving the group in the first place, spending minutes quietly wrenching it open while he stared at his radar and then minutes more making it as invisible as possible, smoothing the dented meta in his hands where he'd pulled it open enough to slide a hand into the locker and use his forearm like a crowbar, The weapon was useful, but it had a shine to it as well that could give him away, and he was unused to the cloak so moving around in stealth in that was a dangerous idea.

His choice in armor coloration at the medical center had been as much pragmatism as stylized, the black and dark red serving well in stealth missions. Which he favored over outright confrontations. The red was more for breaking up the black, so that people didn't see a solid black mass moving out of the corner of their eyes.

 _Unfortunately_ that mainly made itself useful against men and aliens, not against the machines that he saw patrolling by as he leaned against an empty classroom's doors, frowning to himself lightly. "Dot, set a VISR ping and look for anything that looks like a networking hub of any sort."

"Of course, Noble Six. One moment, please." He grunted, turning his head slowly to look in a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree radius, watching multiple VISR pings go off as he sank to a kneel. Four locations lit up on his HUD, and Dot spoke again, tagging each in turn, "The first location has multiple weak signals coming and going to it, but none appear to be networked to either the cameras you have been avoiding thus far or the droids. The second only has ten signals, all received from outside the premises, however this is likely the call junction being used."

"Meaning that if we're forced to go loud, the alarm might route through there." Six confirmed, the AI agreeing politely. That meant that it had to be a primary target after the droids were disabled. The authorities showing before he'd completed his objectives and exfiltrated could be… annoying, especially when dealing with Ruby later. Killing bandits and killers was one thing. Soldiers and police officers, though?

Not a good idea.

"The third is the largest network, and situated directly above the Headmaster's office. Caution is advised when moving as I am detecting multiple forms with the room that match the analogues of the droids we have seen." After a second, another ping on his HUD came up, this time at the gates, "I am also detecting movement here."

"Bodies?" He asked quietly, turning to look at the wall through which the gate was.

"One, Noble Six." She brought up a zoomed in, and admittedly pixelly, picture. "The analogue appears male and Human, however he does not stand as Qrow does. Likelihood of being an unknown is high."

"Tag it then, and monitor its movements as a possible threat." The zoomed in picture vanished, the distant highlight turning orange - indicating a threat, but one that wasn't actively pursuing him according to his helmet's HUD settings - and he turned back to the door as a trio of drones marched by, "Dot, can you evaluate the level to which these are networked currently?"

"Negative, Noble Six. Were I to interface directly with one of the droids, I could likely ascertain that. However, it is highly likely that they are networked via electronic signals, so there is a significant chance that they lack a direct interface point that would serve our needs." Damn it, if Kat were here she could splice one of their skulls open and do it that way, he was sure of it.

Sighing, he spoke again, "Tag the network junction for the drones then, and make the outbound systems a secondary objective. If we disable the drones, we should be able to move around without concern of raising the alarm in the time it takes to disable that as well."

She accepted the orders, tagging the objectives as Alpha and Beta as he stood, and he ordered another ping on his VISR. Waiting until the next set of white-and-gold armored passed the door, he slowly opened it and slipped out. The halls were punishingly bare of furniture, decorated mostly by small cabinets with display weapons on show and lights hanging in small mini-chandeliers, far more opulent and decorative than hanging candelabras would have been.

Information Dot offered when he had taken note of it, and which he was curious how she knew. The UNSC didn't exactly program their AIs to know about interior decorating, and while ship-bound ones were welcomed to expand their knowledge as they were interested, he doubted she was a ship-bound AI.

The cabinets were too thin to hide behind, and the lighting sources were hanging from the ceiling, so he couldn't hide very easily, from the kindly sparse cameras _or_ the roving droids. The lack of the former was almost certainly thanks to the latter, but it still complicated matters. His HUD lit up as another camera was pinged around the corner, luckily facing away, and he sighed before sliding around the corner tightly and continuing down the hall, ducking into an abandoned and unmonitored closet when several droids popped up on his VISR behind a wall.

This continued for almost an hour, moving at a snail's pace in a crouch, dodging in an out of closets, rooms and so on to evade droids and cameras, and at least once being forced to open a window and climb up onto the next floor. Not even a real difficulty for him, and a short enough route, so he was thankful to Dot for her support in finding a route.

Finally reaching what they had assumed was the drone's control room, he was reaching for the door when Dot spoke, "Noble Six, the office below you has two bodies in it. One is the stranger, and the other the headmaster."

A meeting, then? But what could it be about, if the man had already been present for an hour? He had arrived only a half-hour after Qrow's own meeting, so he doubted sincerely they here agents from the 'Council' here in Mistral.

On a hunch, he knelt, "Dot, sound sensors."

"Yes, Noble Six. Working."

After a moment, his VISR pinged out from himself yet again, bouncing in small circles around the two below him. Then it highlighted their bodies, followed by their skeletal frames and then, last, their hearts and brains popped up in small windows on the left side of his visor, tagged for targeting automatically. A moment later names cropped up up, Lionheart behind the desk and a question mark across from him, sitting in a seat languidly.

"-him that our Huntsmen were too occupied for me to get Council approval, which is true enough. He accepted it for now, but he won't for very long." The headmaster was saying, Six's eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Was that a lie then when he said that to Qrow? No, he just said that was true. But why the worry about Qrow?

"You did very well, considering, Leo." The name changed from Lionheart to Leo Lionheart, adapting new information for him as he received it, and he silently ordered her to start recording the conversation. "Salem will be quite pleased when she finds out, I assure you."

"There's more, Watts." He said nervously, stroking his beard. The question mark replaced itself with 'Watts', in quotation until it could be verified. "Qrow thinks he knows where the Spring maiden is, and if he does-"

"Then we can send someone to retrieve her." 'Watts' stood, clapping his hands, "I take it back, you have done _exceptionally_ well. Your improvisational skills need work, yes, but you managed to get a call out to me and find out some very needed information."

"So the Queen will be pleased then?" He asked nervously, the other figure striding around the desk in a few long strides.

"I believe so, yes." He laid a hand on the headmaster's back, gesturing at the wall to their right, behind the comfortable sitting area, "Shall we? A report must be made immediately, and hearing it from you is best."

He ended the recording, smiling thinly to himself and backing away from the door, "Dismiss the drones, the security network is enough for now." Dot did as ordered,and he began making his way to Beta point in much the same way as he had before, dodging between drone patrols and cameras alike.

Once he reached the room, he walked over to the camera system and drew a small chord from his armored helmet, just above the rightmost camera on his forehead, and jacked it into the computer. "Go to work, Dot. Monitor channels and transmissions, and set up a loop system."

"Understood. Working." After a long minute, she spoke again, "Done. As long as you're in range, we can monitor outbound signals. I am setting a dumb copy to the task, and ordering it to delete footage of you as it is sent out to the monitors. Only the droids are a threat now."

"Are we ready to move?" He asked lowly, receiving a crisp affirmative and yanking the cord free. He returned to the place he'd stashed his weapons far faster, taking the items and leaping over the gate with the aid of his armor's pack. Outside, he settled into an easy and fast lope down the path, away from the Academy and back towards Mistral proper.

He had to get the recording to Qrow.

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 **Hope you all enjoyed, sorry for the wait, I'll try to get some out faster as Supporters trickle in.**


	12. Coffee Breaks and Drunken Birds

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

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 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

 _ **Further, on Vid . Me, if you subscribe you to us as a group, you can support us there and help us with two dollars a month. We'll be starting the Long Dark soon as a main series at the request of a Supporter, and you all can request them - and Fanfictions too, of course - on our P Supporter page. Pm for details, if you wish to help.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy the chapter and, as always, drop a Review, a follow, and subscribe to our other platforms for more, or become a Supporter to support us more directly. We'll be getting a house soon, so extra money can help a lot! Review responses at the bottom, by the way.**_

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With the cloak over his shoulder and the sword on his hip, Six had _expected_ travelling to be easier, and that people would cooperate whenever he asked them for information regarding the others. Which, surprisingly enough for him given the last few weeks of his life and how well plans went during them, went fairly according to what he expected. He found a city guard, gave him his allies' names, and the man sent him towards where they were staying with a respectful salute.

Marching up the steps, he rapped his knuckles against the door and, after a few seconds of quiet waiting and muted voices inside, it swung open to Jaune's surprised face. "Six? What are you doing here?"

"Reporting." He said simply, pushing past him quickly, suddenly anxious of outside eyes on him, feeling like he was being watched suddenly. Could this 'Watts' have found out they were being listened to? Possible, but negligible. "I infiltrated Haven after you all left, and tapped into their communications as well as eavesdropping on a conversation Lionheart had with someone else."

"About?" Jaune asked quickly, turning around, "Six is back!"

"What we talked about." Six said simply, "The Maidens and Spring's location, at least in general. The man seemed to already know about the former." He tapped his helmet, hearing the raid patter of small feet - Ruby - and matched paces behind those, Ren and Nora probably - above him. "I captured a recording using my helmet of the audio. Where's Qrow? He needs to hear it?"

"Six?" Ruby asked in surprise, flashing around a corner and looking at him with a smile before it sank into a frown. "What are you doing here already? Shouldn't you be... doing stuff for the Headmaster?"

"That was a deception." He explained simply, shrugging it away. "He believed I left ahead of you all, so when you left, I infiltrated easily. Something felt off in our meeting with him, so I needed a chance to find out if my suspicions were true." he sighed quietly, "As usual, they were."

"What did you find?" He heard Ren ask quietly, walking past him with a pouting Nora in tow, the girl sticking her tongue out at him petulantly. He lowered himself into a chair and rested a foot on his left knee, knitting his fingers together and turning his head to look at the Spartan super-soldier directly. "I assumed right away that you thought something felt off there. You aren't the type, I feel, to randomly explode and storm away."

He nodded appreciatively, explaining once again what he'd found while the other three moved to sit down and he knelt on the floor, one knee under him comfortably in a relaxed - but still quite military - resting position. "Now, where is Qrow? I have to report this to him, so he can decide what to do."

"You already told us though." Ruby said quietly, sitting on the couch next to Jaune, "We can make a decision about this ourselves."

"Is Qrow not the one in command?" He asked honestly, "As the veteran and the one most knowledgeable on the issues at hand, I had thought he was simply in command."

"No, Six, that's-" Ruby cut herself off, silver eyes closing as she sighed before looking at him again. "The most official leader here would be Jaune, actually. But we're not military, we all contribute to our decisions. Equally."

"An inefficient command system." Dot said to him privately, sounding _surprisingly_ irritated at it. As well as her synthesised voice could sound like any emotion, truly. "What would occur should they need a snap decision rendered on an issue? Or should they have a wounded ally on the field and be forced to flee, and leave them? Any number of incidents could render them defeated without a definitive leader."

Privately, Six held similar opinions, but Ruby had a point as well. They weren't military, so _expecting_ military standards was perhaps a bit unfair. "Very well, then what do all of you think we should do about this situation? Hesitation could lose the Spring maiden in the end if we take too long."

"Wait for Qrow."

"Ask Qrow."

"Um, maybe Qrow would know?"

Ren and Six both sighed in unison at the other three, the asian-looking man palming his face in exasperation, "Honestly, I don't know why I even try to back any of you claims up."

"Fine then. Again, where is Qrow?" Six asked tiredly, paying attention to his radar and bringing up scans of the drones from Haven to look over idly while they started to squabble good-naturedly. This was important, they needed to focus on the task at hand before moving on.

A loud knock on the door sounded, and Six shot up, spinning with a hand on his new weapon and freezing warily. Jaune stepped just past him, hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, "What's out there?"

"Two bodies." He said immediately, "One at the door, smaller than the other. About half your height, more or less, and a fully grown man by the- Hold on a minute." Scanning the man, and it was confirmed to be that after the scan, and he sighed at Dot's analysis. "Qrow's hiding by the door. His heartbeat seems to indicate he is inebriated."

"Of course he is." Ruby said, standing up and walking to the door. She opened it, ignoring the kid, and sighed in a very, very frustrated way, "Qrow, Six is here, he knows you're out here. You're drunk _again_ aren't you?"

He sprang around the corner drunkenly, leaning on the small boy heavily, "Yes, but _before you start_ -!"

"Qrow, why are you drunk already?" Ruby demanded hotly, or as hotly as someone like Ruby could demand anything, crossing her arms under her chest and tapping her foot angrily. "And _how_? It's only been a few hours, and you _said_ you were working!"

"Before. You. Start." He reiterated, pushing the kid through the door hard enough he stumbled into Ruby, who caught him and pulled him around to her side where she held him against her side protectively. "I found him! Also, I _was_ working, talking to… contacts. At the bar. But I found him!"

"Found who?" Jaune asked, shutting the door behind the man with an exhausted sigh and moving back towards his seat.

"Him!" Qrow slurred, stumbling past a glaring Ruby and collapsing onto the longer couch. "Hah!" He flailed up, smiling widely, and Six groaned. "I found him! Tell 'em what you told me, kid!"

"Well, uh, my name's Oscar…" Six turned fully to the boy, still being coddled by Ruby, while he stammered nervously. He managed to turn and look up at her past her chest, blushing slightly, "Um, could you...?"

"O-Oh!" Ruby vanished in a flurry of rose petals, reappearing a second later on the couch with a small blush. "S-Sorry, Oscar. I was just upset at Qrow, and he kind threw you at me, so I just sorta caught you… and… You know."

"I-It's fine, Ruby." He said, and the girl blinked in surprise.

"I…. didn't tell you my name." Six's eyes narrowed at her comment, resting a hand on his weapon and turning slightly to conceal it instinctively.

"Uh, well… That's the thing…" He started, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. " _My_ name is Oscar, but, well…"

"Wait for it." Qrow slurred, laughing drunkenly on the couch.

"But you might know me better as…" He raised an eyebrow, hand rubbing the back of his neck, "Professor O-Ozpin?"

The others froze in stunned silence for a moment before Qrow threw his arms in the air, "I found him!" Then he fell off the couch, slamming into the floor with a grunt. "I… found… him…"

"I'll make some coffee." Six said quietly, standing and lumbering through the building, using a quick VISR ping to find the kitchen. Looking around the kitchen for a moment, he sighed. He'd not been in a civilian kitchen for a long, long time.

Noticing movement on his radar, he turned, Nora smiling at him teasingly and leaning against a wall. "Do you even _know_ how to make coffee in a Mistralian kitchen?"

"No." Six said after a moment, the girl rolling her eyes and pushing off the corner.

"Come on, big guy, I'll teach you how." She said, laughing quietly and reaching up to pull down pans, looking for one in particular. "Honestly, you can fight a veteran, Huntsmen level enemy on even ground, but can't make coffee Mistralian style?"

He stood there awkwardly while she worked,humming lightly while she boiled water for the tea, and Six explained, "I've only ever made coffee in pots."

This precipitated an hour long explanation on why making coffee in _pots_ was a bad thing to do, and why Mistralian coffee was so much better. Six stood and listened idly, and Dot recorded everything Nora said, for posterity she claimed when Six noticed the recording icon on his HUD and asked.

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 **Hope you all, as always enjoyed everything. Thanks for all the Reviews from last time as well, I love them all. Hope you enjoy future chapters just as much! Short as always, but if any Supporters ask me to, I will make this feature chapters which can be as long as ten thousand words long.**


	13. To See the Wizard

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

 _ **Further, on Vid . Me, if you subscribe you to us as a group, you can support us there and help us with two dollars a month. We'll be starting the Long Dark soon as a main series at the request of a Supporter, and you all can request them - and Fanfictions too, of course - on our P Supporter page. Pm for details, if you wish to help.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy the chapter and, as always, drop a Review, a follow, and subscribe to our other platforms for more, or become a Supporter to support us more directly. We'll be getting a house soon, so extra money can help a lot! Review responses at the bottom, by the way.**_

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"You're fucking with us," Six grunted in a half-accusation out of surprise, shocked more than he cared to admit. Enough to shatter his normal demeanor for a moment before he held his hands up apologetically. "I apologize, I didn't mean to swear. I was just… surprised."

"N-No! I'm not, I promise," Oscar - Ozpin - it confused Six to no end thinking about it. The young man - or old, depending on perceptions, Six supposed - sighed, "Look, I get it. It's… confusing. Very, very confusing. Took me a week or two to, you know, wrap my head around things too. But…" he trailed off, looking to the side, and grimaced. "I know." Turning back to the group he flushed slightly, "Ozpin, uh, says that it's normal to need time, but we don't have any. So, you know…"

"We have to hurry up and wrap our heads around it," Qrow added helpfully from his seat beside Ruby on the couch across from Six, the boy smiling appreciatively at him. Jaune, Nora and Ren were sitting on the couch, and Six was at Jaune's right hand, kneeling because he doubted the furniture would hold him. "Much as it is hard to take in, Oz can reincarnate and when he does I-"

"U-Um, sir?" Oscar asked, raising his hand nervously like a child in school would. Qrow sighed roughly and gestured at him, like a teacher would, and Oscar continued. "Um, Ozpin wants to talk to everyone and… explain things."

"Of course," Qrow said quickly, gesturing at the boy again and smiling, "You don't have to ask, kid, Oz is very important to us. He has every right to speak when he wants to, and you should feel like you're allowed to as well. We're all at risk of dyin' anyways, and you don't have any of our abilities. We respect that."

"O-Okay. Alright." he took a slow breath in, shoulders scrunching up nervously and looking at them, "Just, um… I'll still be here, alright? I won't be in control, but I'll still be here, watching."

They nodded and he closed his eyes. After a few seconds, Six's eyes widened and Dot booted on a recording program as a green energy field enveloped him, sparking slightly as his back arched almost painfully and his eyes rolled back in his head. His hands spasmed and gripped the chair's arms tightly, while his legs pressed against the floor almost hard enough to break through. As it stood, the floorboards merely creaked in protest.

After the lights died away and the boy's body relaxed, he blinked and straightened, grabbing the cane from the table and resting it in front of him with his hand son it in one smooth motion, speaking with an oddly echoing and resonant voice. "I apologize, the first time I take control is always the… harshest on my host's body. Still, it is very good to see all of you alive and well." He turned his gaze to Jaune in particular, smiling sadly and looking infinitely older than the child he resided in, "And you, Mister Arc. I am sorry you lost your partner, I failed you both in that venture. And as much as I hope you understand my reasons, I know that brings no true comfort."

"I…" Jaune sighed, clenching and relaxing his armored glove in turn and taking a long breath. "I get it. But I can't accept your apology, not yet." Ozpin's eyes softened and Jaune added, "I'm sorry, but it's still too… deep, Professor Ozpin."

"I understand, Mister Arc." He turned to Qrow, the sympathy vanishing from his face. "Now, Qrow, you should explain to me your 'friend's' presence for this information on the Maidens. I gave you strict and specific people who were privy to it, and you appear to have violated that trust. I need to know why."

"Six," Qrow said, bouncing his hand in front of him for a few seconds in thought. "He's… an ally. I'll tell you from where later, but for now just know he's on our side. Almost died twice saving our asses. Once from one of Salem's men and once from a Nuckelavee. Killed both of 'em, just so you're aware."

"Who did he kill?" Ozpin asked, eyes narrowing and raising an eyebrow at Six before smiling diplomatically. "You may feel free to interject with your own answers, you should know. You are, after all, here to speak for yourself. So don't hesitate to defend yourself, I wouldn't deny anyone such a basic right as the right to defend yourself."

"Tyrian," the Spartan offered after a moment, gesturing at Qrow. "Your man can confirm for me. He was a… Faunus, I believe is the term, with a scorpion tail. Stabbed me before I put him down."

The young man looked at Qrow, who nodded. "All true. Poisoned him and everything, and he still fought the Nuckelavee. Killed it too, with a grenade at point blank range, and spent a good stint in the hospital for it. Surprised he's actually alive myself, anybody told me they did half that I'd call them a liar. Huntsmen or not. They made him a member of the Lokhoi in Mistral too. Shield, cloak, the whole Grimm and claws."

"Very well." Ozpin said after a moment. "So long as you fill me in privately, later, I will accept this as a decision you had to make in the moment and forgive you for whatever breach may be there." Turning to address the room at large, he smiled warmly, "You all have come very far, I am glad to see. Now then, we have to discuss my colleague, Lionheart. Qrow, you told me he has been quite resistant to following basic instructions I left for whenever I was… indisposed. Apparently treasonously so."

"Yeah. I tried gettin' him to help me himself, since it sounded at least halfway reasonable for the Kingdom to have snatched up most of the Huntsmen, but he refused." He gestured at Six and the children, scoffing, "Even said we wouldn't be enough just to go see Raven on our own. Was gonna just look for some people I know, get some help my damn self. Then, well…"

"I stayed behind, something felt wrong. Using my suit, I infiltrated Haven Academy and managed to capture a recording between the Headmaster and one Watts." Six offered quickly, gesturing at the man, "I mentioned it to Qrow when I got a moment, and now need orders on what to do. Infiltrating again would be easy enough, if you want the Headmaster eliminated."

"Eliminated?" Ozpin asked coyly, raising an eyebrow. "You only just met me, yet you would kill if I requested it?"

"I have met agents that back your claims. One tried to kill me, and so I trust you enough to follow your lead. Your claims of… magic, have also panned out as true. You and those representing you have not attempted to harm me, whereas theirs have. You have also proven your claims," Six explained, shrugging his armored shoulders slightly. "Of course, should I find out you have been deceiving me, I will eliminate you as well and go into hiding. That is not ideal, of course."

Qrow snorted lightly, shaking his head, "Never heard a guy say killin' us would be 'not ideal.' And you sound so sure you could too."

"It would be easy." Six said quickly, rolling his off shoulder.

"Oh?" Ozpin started, raising an amused eyebrow, "I'm genuinely curious how it would be easy. If only to reinforce our weaknesses and prevent the enemy from attempting a similar tactic." Six hesitated, and Ozpin smiled warmly, "By all means, treat it as a thought experiment. It is important for those in our world, so to speak, to know our dangers."

Six paused awkwardly, "First I'd deal with you, as you are the weakest regularly and easily dealt with by surprise. Next would be Qrow, as he is the most dangerous of the group, and easily dealt with by endangering Ruby, almost certainly as a hostage. Ruby would already be eliminated along with Qrow, and after that would be Ren, as I can simply overpower him. Nora and Jaune are both capable in melee, so I'd withdraw and lure them into a trap of some kind. Likely high explosives, then I'd deal with them at range. Nora is, of course, the most dangerous due to her explosives, but that is nothing new to me."

"That was…" Ruby trailed off, rubbing her knees together anxiously, "Quick?"

"Yes, it was." Ren said immediately after, raising an eyebrow curiously, "How long have you had that planned out?"

"Since we met," Six answered. After a moment, he gestured at Oscar. "Well, I revised it with him involved, but not very much." Seeing their apprehensive and uncomfortable expressions, he sighed, "I apologize. As a Spartan, we're trained to handle threat analysis on everyone, including allies, to keep our tactical aptitude high. It happens on instinct now."

"Ah, a training tactic then." Ozpin said quickly, nodding and smiling, "A good one as well, I would think. Beacon does, or a least _did_ , something very similar by pitting students against each other in combat spars. It was in the hopes they'd be improved in their ability to analyze a threat."

"Useful, both of those." Qrow admitted grudgingly, sighing and crossing his arms, "And much as I hate to admit it, if someone caught Ruby I would be pretty fucked if you did that, frankly."

"On that note." Ozpin interrupted, looking at the four, "You all need to have a step up in your training made, and quickly. Mister Arc still lacks his Semblance, and Miss Rose can't defend herself if she loses her weapon. Neither of these things can be left to sit." He turned to the Spartan with a wide smile, "Are you, by chance, proficient in unarmed combat?"

"Wet works operatives are trained in a variety of martial arts," he affirmed, nodding his helmeted head and turning to look at her. "Her arms are thin, but appear well-muscled. Her legs are also thin, with better muscle development on her upper legs. Definitely no sort of grappling style…" Six stood, grabbing her arm and feeling along the muscles while Jaune leaned away and watched awkwardly. "Not an average brawler either, you don't have the musculature for that and it would take too long to develop it."

"Y-Yeah," She said quietly, blushing lightly at his so wonton touching her. "My dad and sister are both brawlers, a-and they said I wasn't going to make a good hand to hand fighter, so, you know… Scythe!"

"Reasonable. You'd be decent if we focused you on countering and evasion tactics, perhaps Tai Chi?" He grabbed her hand, turning the palm towards him and examining the fingers, moving them to test their dexterity. "Perhaps. Are you particularly dextrous?"

"Yes?" She half answered, half asked weakly.

"Getting a little handsy, aren't ya?" Qrow asked gruffly, the Spartan looking up at him. "Can't say I like a man your size handling her like that.

He shrugged nonchalantly, ordering Dot to check her archives for the needed information, releasing her arm and walking back around the couch towards Qrow, "No. I'm a Spartan, our training was very physical. And this is martial arts, a thorough examination is necessary to facilitating her advance as a hand-to-hand combatant." He sighed after a second, "Perhaps it was forward in a civilian environment though, and I apologize if so."

"I would propose that our new acquaintance, Six, train her in hand-to-hand. Along with Oscar, he needs to build up his strength so we may deploy my power more fully in the field soon." He tapped his chest, smiling, "This body has quite a large amount potential in it, as much as Oscar lacks a belief in it."

"A Spartan training method would harden him quite quickly, so long as he survives it," Six said honestly, clasping his arms behind his back. Ozpin - Oscar - raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, and Six elaborated. "Spartan training includes things like survivalism taught in the wild, intensive physical training, and combat training to match. It… _can_ be lethal, sometimes."

"Perhaps not, finding a new host and returning here would be… troublesome, not to mention Oscar's death." He smiled to himself slightly, "Oscar has a rather intense opinion of that, amusingly. Well, amusingly in an ironic sort of way."

"ODST training would work," he muttered, tapping his armored thigh for a few seconds. "Less intense, but workable… Similar focus on hand-to-hand involved."

"Maybe just some basic endurance workouts and spars," Qrow offered, and Ozpin nodded along with a thin smile. "I'll get a routine set up."

"Very good," Ozpin turned to Six, his smile going cold. "You mentioned that you performed 'wet work' earlier, I believe?" At Six's nod, the man continued, "Is that what it sounds like? Infiltrations, assassinations, sabotage?" Another nod, and the smile was far colder when Ozpin made it. An eerie image, on the young boy's face, "Then I want you to go back into Haven, and find out what they intend to do regarding Spring, and when. If necessary, intervene. If possible? Kill Watts."

"Gladly, sir," Six said crisply. "However, I will require more appropriate weaponry. The rifle and shield I was given are not suited to this task. Loud, showy, not suppressed in any fashion."

"What manner of weaponry would suit then?" He asked brightly, steepling his fingers in front of him with a polite smile.

"Something suppressed in some fashion, if possible. Automatic preferably, and more important than the suppressed feature, though not strictly required. A decent, sturdy knife. And a sidearm," he listed off quickly, Ozpin simply nodding along.

Turning to Qrow, Ozpin started speaking. "Go into town, use my finances and secure the equipment he requires. Spare no expense on it, I have enough to go around, and given Beacon's state I doubt any will notice the school funds are lacking, unfortunate as that might be."

"I'll get it done, soon as I can." Qrow said, rising quickly, "Probably be finsihed by the mornin', if a friend of mine is still working in the city's less-legal areas." Ozpin nodded, and the man turned to leave, "Night, kids."

"And Miss Rose, you should-" Ozpin grunted, green flickering across his body, and collapsed into the seat more deeply. "It seems my time is up for now, Young Oscar's body isn't strong enough to… to…"

Oscar groaned after a few seconds, his chest heaving slightly and sweat beginning to show on his forehead, rubbing his head ently, "I already hate doing that."

"Get some rest," Six ordered as the door swung shut behind Qrow, "You'll be up early, I'm going to start you on some very basic exercises. Nothing too intense, but enough to get you used to regular conditioning." He turned to Ruby as she rose, trying to sneak out of the room, "And you too, Ruby."

The duo groaned pitifully, and Six chuckled. Things were shaping up quite nicely, it would seem.

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 **Big thanks to Top Hat for editing~!**


	14. Prepwork Finalized

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

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 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

 _ **Further, on Vid . Me, if you subscribe you to us as a group, you can support us there and help us with two dollars a month. We'll be starting the Long Dark soon as a main series at the request of a Supporter, and you all can request them - and Fanfictions too, of course - on our P Supporter page. Pm for details, if you wish to help.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy the chapter and, as always, drop a Review, a follow, and subscribe to our other platforms for more, or become a Supporter to support us more directly. We'll be getting a house soon, so extra money can help a lot! Review responses at the bottom, by the way.**_

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

 _ **Further, on Vid . Me, if you subscribe you to us as a group, you can support us there and help us with two dollars a month. We'll be starting the Long Dark soon as a main series at the request of a Supporter, and you all can request them - and Fanfictions too, of course - on our P Supporter page. Pm for details, if you wish to help.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy the chapter and, as always, drop a Review, a follow, and subscribe to our other platforms for more, or become a Supporter to support us more directly. We'll be getting a house soon, so extra money can help a lot! Review responses at the bottom, by the way.**_

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Six woke up at five in the, morning his suit's alarm chiming at him quietly, and he stood up from the corner of his room where he'd been sleeping. Collapsing his spear from its rifle form into its blade-form and setting it on his waist behind him comfortably, he moved to the window and looked out at Mistral, sprawling below into the valley, blue rivers shimmering as the sun first started to break over the mountains that served as Mistral's natural wall against the Grimm. It had been a very, very long time since he'd not only seen a city unmarred by attack, but one who appeared to know some basic semblance of peace and safety.

Was the city under threat? Of course. But it looked safe.. Safer than almost any person throughout UNSC space could ever hope to be, or believe themselves to be. It was refreshing, yet he still felt that odd tenseness in his bones. "Dot, catalogue the districts and streets, download maps of the city wherever possible, and begin analyzing Grimm common to the area for weaknesses."

"I will begin immediately, Noble Six. May I ask for more specific parameters?" the AI responded, a small icon on his HUD indicating that she was processing connections. He dismissed it with a blink.

"Negative," he sighed tiredly, more at the prospect of eventually having to actually _review_ what she compiled for him at some point than anything. "I'm not sure what exactly to expect, I just know that we need to be ready. We've… stumbled into something beyond my rank, and I need to have my bases covered and plans laid before I make any more moves."

"Does this mean you will be delaying your infiltration into Haven Academy?" she asked.

"Negative," he shook his head. "Whatever Lionheart is doing, it needs to be prevented. This 'Watts' has to be eliminated, or captured." No, my planning and caution will have to wait until the immediate hazards to the children are removed." He shook his head, turning and heading for the door, "They need to be prepared for what is coming and protected, if at all possible."

"I find your attachment to these new companions strange, but heartening ." Dot mused, almost sounding glad or bemused he couldn't tell, and she moved on before he could dwell further on it. "I shall begin compiling as much information as I can. Once we have eliminated Lionheart and secured Haven Academy, I would request some servers to better process your requests, Noble Six."

"I'll see what I can do," He said quietly, stepping into the hall as silently as possible and turning towards the stairs to the kitchen.

"Acknowledged."

While Dot went about her own tasks, Six set to his, preparing meals for the trainees, he supposed would be the word here. Four fried eggs, three pieces of toast - one with a slice of cheese and the other two buttered - with two sausage links and four strips of bacon for each, alongside glasses of milk and a glass of orange juice. Protein, grains, more protein and then calcium with some citrus for the immune system. All needed for exercising the body and building it up quickly and efficiently, without harming the person doing it.

He turned when a blip on his radar rounded where he knew the corner to be, Ren standing in the entryway with a raised eyebrow and a clear question. Turning back to the eggs, Six answered it, "Food for Ruby and Oscar. Fuel for their regimen, to get them started. Balanced meals are-"

"-very important to people when they're training," Ren finished, joining him at the stove and opening a cabinet full of tins and boxes he hadn't recognized, likely local cuisine. "There's a tea you should make as well, Gypsium. It's a caffeinated beverage that stimulates one's Aura, which will help them grow their muscles faster and recover from injuries more easily."

He watched Ren set the pot to boil, the young man looking at him after a second, "I'll make the tea for you. It's a bit finicky," The Spartan nodded, stepping aside so the young man could start working on the drink, pouring a pouch into the water and stirring it. The powder was mildly interesting, a light creme color with what looked like small crystals scattered throughout. Ren noticed Six's interest and began to speak. "It's grown on the mountains here in Mistral. The shards are a very common and mostly inert type of Dust. Mostly useless until it dissolves, and the Gypsium leaf itself grows with it in the leaves."

"Why?" Six asked, brows furrowed at the prospect of a crystal that affected the human body so much, that grew in a _leaf_ of all things.

"No one is sure," Ren said calmly, shrugging his shoulders. "Other than the Gypsium plant, the only place it's found is on the ground over Dust deposits. The leaves grow where the deposits are close to the surface, so maybe that is a part of it. I wouldn't claim any special knowledge on the subject, honestly. Also, your eggs are starting to burn."

Six attended the food, turning again when he saw another blip approaching. Qrow grunting at him and staggered in. He wasn't drunk though, this wasn't a drunken stagger, it was a feigned rather than drunken. His step was a bit too steady, his eyes a touch too dark and sharp, to be drunk. He looked at Six's visor and jerked his head towards the living room, and the Spartan turned to Ren, "Can you-?"

"I'll get everything prepared and get them up," Ren finished, sounding amused and tense at the same time some how. "You have… More important matters to attend to, I would wager."

Nodding, the Spartan turned, following Qrow out of the room. Qrow plopped onto the couch, Six sat on the floor across the table from him. Qrow glanced at the massive soldier, sitting cross-legged on the floor, dwarfing the table before him, and chuckled. "You look like an oversized kid, sittin' on the floor like that. We need to get you a damn chair that can hold your heavy ass." Shaking his head, he fished his flask out of his jacket and took a sip. "Told Oz everything you told me, and I gotta say, it shocked him. And he ain't surprised easily.."

"It's a fantastic tale," the Spartan agreed, crossing his armored arms. "But he did believe it?"

"Yeah, he did." Qrow paused to take a long drink, sighing and letting his head roll back to look at the ceiling. "Says he's glad to have you, 'regardless of the circumstances'. And that once you get into Haven and help us fix this mess up, you can go on your way with enough cash to start wherever you want.."

"I'm not interested in money," Six said, waving a hand at the notion.

" _Or_ ," Qrow stressed, holding up a finger, "You could stay on, and help out with the good fight. His words again,. Hate it when he calls it that. Like some Brothers-damned Saturday morning cartoon or something."

"About Haven," Six interrupted, steering the conversation back to the more important aspects of their business. "Did you get the equipment I requested? I can do make the objective either way, but I need those weapons for a better outcome."

"Depends," Qrow said. "You ready to break into Haven and fight one of the more powerful Huntsmen on the planet? Even past his prime like this, he's still a hell of a fighter. Enough for Oz to have trusted to defend one of the Relics." Six nodded and the man reached down, lifting a case off the floor from under the arm of the couch. "Then yeah, I got what you asked for. Old friend of mine contacted me, said he knew I was in the market, and gave me the case for free. Just wants the usual, for us to keep his business safe."

"I assume he counts our normal activities as that," Six added. The Huntsman nodded and set the case on the table in front of him.

"Yup. Got a pulse rifle for you. Forty rounds in a clip, automatic, and fires slugs instead of burst rounds, so they'll be better about hurtin' the security mechs and anyone you get in a fight with. Even comes in black," Qrow adds with a smirk before continuing. "Gotcha a low caliber pistol with a silencer built in and a half-machete."

"Wait a minute," Six interrupted, raising a hand. "Solid rounds are better than burst rounds? What is the difference?"

"Ah, yeah, guess you wouldn't know." The Huntsman chuckled, crossing his arms and resting a boot on the table beside the case. "Slugs, or solid rounds if you wanna get technical, are heavier. So they don't fly as fast and they're solid, so they can't explode like a lot of rounds used by normal Huntsmen and Huntresses. They're also more dangerous, because while Aura blocks damage it can't stop the momentum of an attack."

"Aura blocks out the actual attacks, but Newton and Asina still have their way," Six murmured. Qrow raised an eyebrow and Six explained. "An object or force in motion will not stop or alter its path unless acted upon by an exterior force. That's Newton, roughly phrased. With the advent of space faring ships, Asina added that energy and kinetic force will not stop unless diverted or distributed by a body or mass. Essentially, my shields stop rounds from damaging me, but I still feel the force of them hitting."

"Then yeah, that's about how it works," Qrow agreed, looking glad to not have to explain the science more accurately or technically. "Burst rounds are just as effective against almost any Grimm, but safer to use with people around. So if you're worried you might accidentally hit someone, even a civilian, you'd want burst rounds. Worst they'd get out of it is a bad burn unless you were hit with a case of bad luck."

Nodding, Six slid the case around the table towards him. The case itself was a dark black, gun-metal gray along the opening, with what he assumed to be the company's emblem on the front. A two-headed hawk clutching twin lightning bolts on a shield surrounded by flame. Inside were the weapons, nestled into padded insides snugly with three magazines by each firearm. The knife rested along one end in a black sheath which, when he lifted it out, had a magnetic clip on the underside.

The 'half-machete' looked like its namesake, a shortened variant of a traditional machete, with a broad and heavy blade and a razored edge, about ten inches long. The blade and handel were both black, a firm grip lined in bronze coloring and the symbol of Mistral adorning the blade on either side just above the pommel. The Mistralians loved the color, it would seem. He chuckled quietly at the obvious notion, attaching it to his armored shoulder.

The sidearm was a heavy pistol, the weight and shape both familiar in his hands, owing to the shape and design being incredibly similar in a variety of ways to his old Magnum. The same red dots, two on the back and one on the front, along the top of the weapon, the bottom of the barrel painted a dull, gun-metal grey and the separate section on top painted a dark black like the knife and his own armor. The grip was similar, the sides where the grip itself was painted black while the handle it was affixed to was the same gun-metal as the rest of the frame, the Mistralian emblem adorned there once more in bronze. He put that on his right thigh, slotting the spare magazines into his thigh's storage compartment.

The rifle was a nice surprise, strikingly similar to his old one. Some of the armor in the assembly and the gas chambering was missing, the barrel was housed in sections of blocky, rectangular metal, and the clip extended a little farther than the MA5, but it was in the right ballpark. Gun-metal grey for the frame and black for the rest, it felt like a relative of the MA6 assault rifles he'd tested once upon a time, except smoother and simpler. Instead, it had a green circle-sight at the end of the weapon, just above the barrel. Holding the weapon he smiled to himself, enjoying the very familiar feel, even if the weapon was lighter and lacked that UNSC 'unbreakable without a bomb' feel. No charging handle to chambered the first round, and no holographic ammo readout, but far from unusable.

It would do, at least for now. Looking up at the Huntsmen, he nodded. "These will work, though I'll need more ammunition in the future."

"You'll have it," Qrow said. "The Harvest Defense Company makes some damn good rifles, even if they only tend towards takin' private security orders." Qrow shrugged, scratching his chin idly where he sat on the chair. "Figured you'd like something like what ya had, so I looked around just a bit."

"I appreciate it," Six said, and he meant it. A familiar feeling rifle was a nice replacement for his lost weaponry, as impressive as the mecha-shift spear was. "I will be departing immediately to begin infiltrating Haven. Hopefully I can obtain some useful intelligence while I'm there."

"Yeah," Qrow mumbled, nodding gravely and sighing. "Take care, Six, I'll handle the brats for you. If you're gone for more than two days without contacting me, I'm comin' after ya. You got that?"

"Acknowledged. I'll find some manner of reporting in if I don't return," Six agreed, standing and loading the weapons onto his person before moving towards the door. He stopped there, turning back to Qrow, "Make sure the children get some decent training in, they both need it. Jaune as well."

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 **I just want everyone to know that Top Hat kind of terrifies me with his edits, lol.**

 **Top Hat here. I'm terrifying because I can find flaws in the prose of Salem herself. It's an entirely natural reaction, don't be worried. *Silently begins to sharpen a fountain pen***

 **Gods, it's Mika all over again.**


	15. Time for School

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest, Odin has even agreed to assist me in finding my own place. So I'll be doing this all day, every day.**_

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Six smiled, watching the light fade as the sun finally fell after hours of watching the Academy from down the street. It wasn't quite evening yet, and the darkening sky wasn't due to time but rain, dark clouds pregnant with water blotting out the sun, cracks of lightning lancing down to strike at the mountains around Mistral and the towers the Kingdom had built there, almost certainly for this purpose.

He'd spent most of the day down the street in a small, quiet cafe that catered to the staff and Academy students at Haven. The windows were darkened, and had a decent enough view of the Academy. He'd asked if he could stay there for a while, and been informed that if he bought something he could stay as long as he pleased. So he'd ordered a strawberry cake to be baked later, and asked them to package it for him to take with him when he 'returned from a meeting in Haven about a job.'

A few hours passed before Six decided to move, standing and making his way towards the cliffs beside the path that lead to the entry gate of the campus proper. Checking to make sure no one was paying attention in the gloom, he started his climb, just as the rain began to patter down against his armor and the rocks. The cliff wasn't too terribly sharp, more a slope than a hard line, with trees and vines he could use if he needed. A third of the way up, the cliff turned sheer, and he was forced to dig into the stone as he climbed, moving quickly in the hopes of avoiding detection.

It took half an hour to reach the top of the cliff, a small overlook over the campus' front, the stairs climbing the mountain and the gate at the top just below him, with pale lights illuminating the pathway and the gate into the main courtyard. Several drones patrolled the area in spite of the rain, with small headlamps that sent beams out into the dark while they patrolled the empty halls, as before and in a similar pattern aside from the headlamps. Something felt… odd, off in some way to the Spartan's sense.

"Dot, ping," he ordered, and the AI sending a VISR ping out across what he could see, highlighting the drones and interior rooms well enough. "Analysis."

"It would seem, judging from local broadband signals, that overall security for the complex has increased ten percent. Also, the general pattern of patrols has altered. As the systems appear automated, I sincerely doubt that in the last two days, they not only increased security, but altered their routines of their own volition,," she relayed rapidly, overlaying his VISR with predictive lines of current patrols based on the mech's movements in the Academy and what they'd already seen, and comparing it to their last venture into the Academy and the information she'd been passively recording at the time.

"Acknowledged. What do you think the odds are they know we infiltrated their grounds last time?" he asked, kneeling on top of the cliff and pressing his body against the side of a thick dark wood tree to blend with while drawing his rifle reflexively, scanning the grounds. He wasn't too worried about being detected, not so high up and blending the way he was with the tree and the dark, stormy sky above. "Should I go in hard, or try and infiltrate quietly first?"

"Infiltration is almost certainly the best tactic, Noble Six," she answered, the lines showing the patrol patterns vanishing from his VISR and being replaced with several small dots, one by the gate where the cliff met the wall, the other at the back of the administrative building - closest to his goal, but very open for a few dozen yards in every direction from the cliffs that he'd have to drop down, and with half a dozen guards stationed too close and unmoving for him to risk - and a third at the far side, past his VISR's range. "I would recommend the entrypoint by the gate. It is the easiest to access, and has the most secure approach."

Nodding, he rose partially and backed away from the cliff-edge in a half-crouch, turning as soon as he lost sight of the Academy itself. A few minutes later he dropped the last few feet off the cliff, sinking under his own weight to a knee with his rifle raised and an eye on his radar, scanning both for any sign of an enemy. After a half-second, Dot pinged his VISR and he rose, turning and heading into a building to avoid the drones patrolling around the corner, unworried about cameras after their last venture.

Rinse and repeat, he replicated the process, circling through classrooms, climbing to different floors through windows and using stairs, closing the distance to the administrative building. Kneeling at a blind-spot in the drones' patrol patterns and watching the building closely, he observed two men walking through the halls. One was lanky, thin and tall, while the other was squat, thick and shorter. Clearly Lionheart was the latter, and the former a stranger. Several of the drones were nearby, marching along the main hallway that lead from the gate's courtyard to the administrative building's front door, but he ignored them and focused ahead, watching his radar closely.

Was the stranger Watts? Probably, or at least probably enough for him to intervene. He waited for several minutes for them to reach the door, stepping outside and continuing whatever conversation they'd been having.

"Yes, I know, we'll make great haste in tracking down Miss Branwen and… swaying her to our side. I'll be departing immediately, so be sure to monitor the device I gave you to ensure we can give you our orders out in the...jungle," Watts sighed, turning to the smaller man and clasping his arms behind his back. "And with that, good night."

"W-Wait, what about the intruder? You said you found-"

"-Evidence someone had broken into your little school, yes," The lankier man finished in a tired drawl, gesturing at the area around him with a whiskered smirk, turning to stare directly at Six through the wall. "That's why I donated those extra drones, and repaired your camera systems, of course."

Rising in a rush, Six slammed through the wall, raising his rifle to fire short bursts into the two drones on either side of the door past the men, blasting them against the wall where they slumped uselessly. He sprinted past Watts, slamming a boot into Lionheart,tossing the older man back before spinning and firing a burst at the taller enemy. Watts dodged to the side, stepping in and aiming a punch for the Spartan's throat. Six raised his rifle, blocking it with the weapon and turning to slam his shoulder into the man,forcing him back while Lionheart wheezed behind them on the ground, surprised and frightened enough not to do anything yet.

Watts staggered away from the weight of the blow, smirking and straightening a foot away while Six slid his right foot back, swapping his rifle for his magnum in his right hand and a knife in the other. Drawing a long, bronze weapon that looked like a luger with a flared, longer barrel, Watts held it in his left hand behind and to the side, the other palm open towards the Spartan at waist height.

Three drones rounded the corner after a tense second, raising their rifles at the Spartan before he put a round into each of their throats, knocking them back and down before lunging towards the well-dressed man with his knife. Watts dodged, using his palm to turn himself on Six's left. with the Spartan's own momentum and force he pressed the weapon to Six's unarmored side, aiming for his spine, and the Spartan slammed to the side, inverting the knife so the blade was held towards the ground and slamming it into the man's hand, forcing the weapon aside as it fired so that it impacted his plates instead of his less protected undersuit.

The man danced away when Six tried to stab him, smiling and straightening between the Spartan and the Headmaster before returning to his previous pose. "You should know, by the way, that I am a far more competent fighter than that pathetic animal Tyrian."

"I was wounded then and I beat him, you won't be any different," Six grunted, flipping the knife in his hands and looking at Lionheart. The man shrank further towards the door, raising an arm to ward off any attacks, like a man trapped in with an animal.

"Indeed," Watts grunted, gesturing with his empty hand around them. "You do understand that you are surrounded, I hope?" It was true. Six could see dozens of the drones converging, drawing sight lines and closing the gap in multiple places on his radar. He said nothing, tightening his grip on the knife in his hand and taking a long breath, and Watts continued. "Why don't you just surrender, hm? Make things easier on everyone involved."

Nine rounds left in his magnum, and that many of the drones hiding down the hall on his right. That was mirrored on his left, with five more in the administrative building hiding by the door and four by the hole he'd made in the wall.

After a long moment of silence from the Spartan, Watts sighed. "Fine, the hard way it is I suppose. And I was hoping to get your armor intact." He shrugged. "Oh well."

Six lunged again, feinting for the tall man's throat with the knife before turning into a shoulder check. Watts dodged to the side and down, avoid a knee Six aimed for his head and stepping past him before resting a hand on the Spartan's back with a smile. Six grunted as electricity arced across his armor and into him, back clenching painfully and armor sparking before he spun and swiped the knife at the man, forcing him back while the Spartan staggered away breathlessly.

Raising the open palm, Watts smiled and wiggled his fingers mockingly, "Electrified glove, perfect for Atlesians like yourself and your heavy, powered armor." Six decided not to correct him on that particular assumption, instead trying to catch his breath, forcing himself to a knee in spite of the numbing ache.

He lunged in again, aiming another punch at the man's throat with his knife-hand, and Watts dodged back. This time, Six raised his magnum, and the other man lunged in, grabbing his wrist and sending a sharper jolt of more intense electricity arcing up his arm, visibly searing through the air for sevel long second while the Spartan stood before he released Six's arm, letting it droop almost uselessly at his side while the Spartan backpedaled, raising his knife-arm in front of him warily.

"Dot, why isn't my armor insulating me?" he asked, circling Watts, who was watching with an expression that was more amused than Six deemed acceptable. While not electricity proof by any means, the attacks were literally bypassing protective measures in his armor. His shields hadn't even dropped during that attack.

"I am afraid I do not know, Noble Six," Dot answered, administering a localised and weak adrenaline spike to the arm, removing the numbness to return Six to his full combat ability. "I would heavily recommend you deal with that arm, it seems more dangerous than his weapon in this situation."

Six blinked an acknowledgement, lsncing at Watts' throat again with the knife. As before, Watts dodged to the side, fingers closing around his wrist. This time, though, Six's right hand lowered as he lunged, leaving the magnum on his thigh while the other man's attention was focused on Six's knife. When Watts grabbed his wrist, Six slammed a fist into Watt's stomach before the electricity started. Six's arm tingled as Watts backpedaled, and Six following with a punch from his knife hand into Watt's gut, alternating rapid blows as he forced the man back. Then Watts managed to squeeze a round from his overly-complicated looking luger into the inside Six's knee, the force knocking his leg to the side and making it buckle under his weight.

Six fell to his knees, and Watts' hand wrapped around his throat, electricity searing into his body for a solid _minute_ before Watts let go and stepped to the side, breathing heavily while the Spartan collapsed forward, his knife sliding from his fingers on the ground next to his hand while he held himself up and wheezed for air.

Watts coughed, spitting some blood onto the ground next to him, and raised his weapon at the downed Spartan's back, sneering, "That hurt, you tin-plated ingrate."

Six heard the trigger squeeze and rolled sloppily to the side and into Watt's legs as the rounds tore into the cement. Watts collapsed on top of Six in surprise with a small shout, Six quickly wrapped his arms under his opponent's, looping them behind his head and using his legs to pin Watts'. He squeezed, and the man grabbed his arm, electrocuting them both with a higher voltage than before. Six's shields finally flared, then popped under the strain, while Aura flickered. This time, Six actually screamed, and when the electricity relented, his arms and flopped down to the ground, limp and useless. Meanwhile, Watts pushed Six away and staggered upright.

Wheezing, he levelled his weapon at the smoking Spartan and smiled. " _That_ was actually a good try." Smiling and ignoring his own smoking clothes, Watts took a shaky breath.

Six tried to force himself up on his limp arms, before he heard a loud crack echo across the Academy. Watts snarled in pain, blood flowing from a hole in his chest as he stumbled to the side, raising the handgun and firing wildly at the cliff as the drones descended on the fallen soldier. Six staggered up and grabbed him, using Watts bodies as shield to help him away as high caliber rounds tore into the drones, three of them collapsing from large holes in their chests before he rounded the corner. Two more closed on the downed Spartan, and he raised his magnum, putting two rounds into each torso while he tried to force himself up.

Two more exploded as rounds slammed into and through their chests before they could harm him, and he emptied his magazine to eliminate the three coming out of the hole he'd made. Reloading, he levelled it at Lionheart as he stood, the man flinching as the Spartan struggled to rise.

"Move and I will shoot you." In spite of the man surely having Aura, the Headmaster still froze and nodded, sinking back to the ground. Six followed him with the magnum, shields sparking back to life as he turned to look around the academy at the mountain, searching for the source of the sniper rounds warily. "Who the hell was that?"

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	16. The Marksmen

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest, Odin has even agreed to assist me in finding my own place. So I'll be doing this all day, every day.**_

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 **Sorry for my tardiness, I've been down with the flu for a week. Short ass chapter because of it, sorry, literally was throwing up all week so bad my throat bled.**

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"Please Six you have to listen to me!" the Headmaster argued desperately, pushed along by armored man. "Ozpin and Qrow are wrong, they think they can win this fight but they _can't_! Ozpin and his allies haven't put a dent in her in centuries!"

"Then they'll keep trying for as many more as it takes" Six said curtly, shoving the man towards an interior classroom. One entrance only so he couldn't make an escape. "That's what soldiers do. They fight, do their duty, and keep doing it until they win."

"We're not _soldiers_ , Six! We're Huntsmen! We're well trained men and women trained to fight against huge, black beasts!" Leo snapped back, gesturing around him with a wide sweep of his hands. "All this around you is dedicated to that! None of my students, _not one_ , has been told about this… Grimm Queen! Or the Maidens! Or any of this- this nonsense!"

"Ours is not to question why," Six said. He grabbed the man by the hair of his beard, sliding his sidearm onto his thigh and opening the door. "You're a traitor, and will be dealt with as such."

"It's not too late you know, Six," Leo tried again, stepping into the room and straightening his coat. Turning back to the Spartan, hard eyes met his cold visor and he continued. "I did what I had to to save my students and my Kingdom. Salem wants to _rule_ , Six! And I don't mind my people being who she rules if they live." The Spartan didn't respond and Lionheart huffed. "Fine, lock me up, not like you understand a hopeless war like this."

Six's fists balled and he took a breath, pulling the door closed behind the man and grabbing a lamp from a nearby table, tying the cord around the handle and the furniture to secure it, since the door swung inwards. Turning back, he headed down the hall towards the entryway, muting his external microphone as he went, "Dot, can you contact Qrow?"

"Yes, Noble Six. Please proceed towards the communications terminal I flagged previously. From there, I will connect your suit's systems more directly, and we can facilitate communications more easily." Six nodded and she sent a VISR ping through the complex without his order, confirming why a moment later. "No more drones or persons appear to be present. It is likely that Watts has taken the remaining units with him."

"He's wounded," Six observed, making his way up the stairs and back into the Academy where the fight had occurred. Kneeling amidst the broken droids and cooled oil staining the rugs, he looked at the blood splattered across the wall behind him, and the ground as well in the direction he'd retreated. "Badly, possibly. But VISR isn't registering any humanoid forms in the halls beyond?"

"Negative, Noble Six. Aside from a single form lacking a leg, which does not correlate to the wounds either you or the unknown sniper inflicted. It is likely a damaged droid that gave out around the corner." Rising, Six confirmed this, a sparking drone looking up at him weakly.

Wrapping a hand around its throat, he yanked the mech's head free, talking to Dot the whole while. "You think it wasn't Ruby, then?"

"Negative. The shots appear to have been earnest lethal attempts that missed. There was little hesitation in follow up attempts and the first attempt only occurred _after_ his Aura was depleted," Dot explained. "I don't belive Miss Rose would not engage in that manner." Six nodded at the confirmation of his own suspicions.

"No," he agreed, turning and heading towards the communications area. "She wouldn't. She'd have intervened earlier, to help me, as bad an idea as that would actually be. This was calculated, by someone willing to kill Watts and also an excellent sniper. Ruby is capable, yes-"

"-but she'd be unwilling to kill," Dot observed. "It is indeed odd. Please standby while I assume control of the computer's systems," Dot said. The Spartan grunted in affirmation as he pulled a cable from the side of his helmet, jacked it into the computer console in the room and waited while she worked, the soldier taking the moment to have a better look at the room.

It was about the size one would expect a computer hub to be, three closets wide and one and a half deep. Towers of modems were set between rows of monitors Six had little time to look into, data scrolling across them as Dot took control. Unlike most of the rooms that had the papery looking, almost Asian interior and exterior walls with thicker wooden ones dividing actual rooms, every wall of the room was thick, solid wood. Heavy and durable, likely as much for security reasons as to be the load-bearing part of this building. The room was probably built as the support juncture, and later made into the communications hub for the Academy afterwards.

"Noble Six, I have begun tapping into the camera networks running throughout the Academy's grounds. The network is… less than adequate, and I am noting several dozen more blind spots than we discovered already." Six sighed in irritation, shaking his head at the failure. "Also, a man is approaching the entrance to the Academy."

"Is it Qrow?" Six asked.

"Negative." A moment's pause. "He appears to be carrying a marksman's rifle of some sort."

"Description?" Six demanded, pulling his rifle and shouldering it snugly. "And a status update, how much longer do you need to assume full control?"

"I am finished," she informed, bringing up an image from the camera of a man in dark armor with a large tarp-like thing covering his head and body and a long sniper rifle on his back with the barrel poking out behind him and pointing towards the ground, the sleek metal shining lightly in the rain. "He appears to be waiting for something. Would you like me to unlock the door?"

"Is it locked?" Six asked.

"Yes," she answered,. "I initiated a lockdown of the campus as soon as I was able to prevent passersby or visitors from discovering our work tonight, as well as making the returning here harder on Watts and his drones. He could have elected to send them back to cause us problems."

"I can't imagine they're exactly _easy_ to move around with," Six agreed. Dispatching the drones to harass a potentially wounded enemy, as well as dispose of them as baggage he'd otherwise have to lug around. Sighing, the Spartan nodded. "Let him in. Can you get a message to Qrow?"

"Affirmative."

"Good. Relay what's happened here and ask him to bring the children to Haven. Lionheart can't be left alone and we can't afford to be divided right now. We're easier to target that way." Dot gave a confirming chime as he adjusted his grip on his rifle, heading towards the entryway, standing at the top of the landing and looking down as the door opened as the man stepped in and closed the door behind him. The Spartan turned so that the rifle in his hands was half-raised and spoke. "Who are you?"

He looked up, the grizzled black man chewing his cigar for a moment before reaching up to take it out of his mouth and tap the ashes off. "Boy, you had better point that somewhere else, or I swear I will put my boot down your throat so far you'll sprout a third god damn leg."

Six… hadn't expected that, almost lowering the rifle at the surprise alone before he steadied it and sighed. "A marksmen opened fire on me and my opponent in a melee earlier. I need to know you're not a-"

"Boy, if I was shootin' at you, you'd be bleedin'." The stranger shook his head, walking towards the stairs to join him. "Now show me where to put my shit, I'm too tired for this crap. Had to trek double-time to catch up to your metal wearin' ass."

"I'm…" Six stepped in front of the strange man, looking down on him when he reached the top of the stairs and looked up at him. The man raised an eyebrow and the Spartan pressed the rifle in his hands against his chest. "Who exactly are you?"

"Sergeant Major Avery Junior Johnson, UNSC Marines." He held up his off hand for the Spartan to shake, rolling his eyes and pushing past him after a second, headed towards the office. "Yeah, 'bout how I was when I got here too. I'll settle in, you get your collective shit together and come on when you're ready. Got shit to do."

Muting his microphone, Six addressed the AI in his helmet as he followed the man, "Tell Qrow to hurry, there's a… situation at hand."

"I will send the secondary message, Noble Six," Dot affirmed, going silent afterwards while she passively scanned the Sergeant for dangers.

Johnson turned when he entered the office, putting out the cigar on his armored chest and flicking it back out the door before it closed, and yanked the tarp off of him before flinging it to the Spartan. Six caught it easily enough, surprised at the heft, and looked to the man. "My company makes 'em, they deflect radar scans and shit. Warm, too. Great for marksmen. I can get ya some, if you want."

Six looked at the heavy, thick tarp, made of a sort of polyester on top and a thick, dark cloth underneath with an interesting plated appearance and feeling. The Spartan turned it over in his off hand a few times before moving to the side and laying it on the table by the couches. Turning, he appraised Johnson's armor more closely. It resembled an ODST's closely, almost mirroring it entirely, aside from less armor on the legs, the result looking more like fatigues than combat wear. All a dark grey, without any symbols or iconography on it. The handgun on his waist matched Six's own, but the smooth rifle on his back was a strange piece.

"The rifle is Atlesian, based on their heavy rifles. I know you Spartans, you're all about the gun show," The man offered, pulling it off his back and leaning it against the couch, "More a marksmen's rifle than a sniper rifle, but kinda the same. Just a longer barrel and higher payload. Even looks the same." Johnson collapsed onto the couch, fishing a cigar out and putting his legs up on the table. "Now, tell me the last thing you remember from back home."

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 _ **Spartan 3909 :**_

 **Welcome~**

 _ **Andy 021 :**_

 **So, to answer your question, yes. Lol.**

 _ **Breacher :**_

 **Hopefully a small bit in this chapter clarifies it a bit more. Sorry, if that was unclear.**

 _ **KPMH 2001 :**_

 **Didn't use Jun, he's alive in canon and important to its continuity. Didn't wanna muddy those waters, you know?**

 _ **B.B. Rain :**_

 **Again, hope things are clarified here for you, a bit more. But yeah, these arguments are complicated for the characters, and I have to have them. Because Ruby wouldn't logically just** _ **let**_ **someone off people so callously. She'd have qualms, and would express them.**

 _ **Arch Angel 319 :**_

 **Glad you enjoyed, bro~!**

 _ **Andrewc 1911 :**_

 **Nope~!**

 **B/N: Y'all need to tell this boi to drink some honeyed tea or some shit. Spam the reviews.**


	17. Johnson

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest, Odin has even agreed to assist me in finding my own place. So I'll be doing this all day, every day.**_

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"You're… from the UNSC?" Six asked after a long second, easing onto the floor and crossing his legs there across the small table from the man. Johnson nodded, puffing on his cigar absently with his left boot propped on the fine wooden coffee table felt his paranoia flaring. "What branch?"

"Marines," he grunted, raising an eyebrow at him. "I told ya that, son."

"But what did you do with them?" The Spartan gestured at their surroundings as an explanation. "If you are from my… world, then you are completely aware of Spartans and why I would demand a better explanation."

"Some of its classified to all hell, Spartan," Johnson said, crossing his arms and shrugging. "I can't tell ya everythin'. You'll have to just take that and buy it, you dig?" The Spartan nodded slowly. It was... _convenient_ that the marine's task was classified, but technically plausible. He himself had enough redacted information and files to fill a frigate's data drives. "Well, alright then. Guess I'll start with me, since I'm guessin' that you wanna know a bit 'bout me first. I was born in Chicago, you know it?"

"On Earth, North American continent, Illinois, near enough to the Great Lakes," Six rattled off quickly, mechanically recalling information he'd memorized a lifetime ago on another world. He relaxed afterwards, speaking quieter, "I had the privilege of seeing them once, when I was younger, before my training was completed. Beautiful."

"Salty and wet," Johnson corrected with a chuckle. "Least it was the two times I went to one My Aunty's friend owned a small boat. We sailed a couple times."

"Continue," Six half-asked and half-ordered lightly, the man rolled his eyes in response.

"No appreciation for story telling," Johnson gripped before resuming. "Enlisted when I was nineteen, wanted a way out to the wider galaxy. Figured protectin' folk was a good way to earn that, plus, you know," he sighed and gestured at the air aimlessly. "Insurrectionists. That UNSC and Earth pride, I couldn't stand the idea of a buncha terrorists blowin' people up for no good goddamn reason." He chuckled lightly, shaking his head, "I didn' know nothin' back then, but I don't regret enlistin', you know? I like to think I made a dent against the Covenant."

"What kind of dent?" Six asked curiously.

"Oh?" Johnson responded, chuckling brightly and shaking his head. "What's the biggest thing you did then? If we're gonna dick measure, let's dick measure straight out."

"I was responsible for delivering an asset to a ship in drydock on Reach, before the last of our forces evacuated the planet," the Spartan explained, careful to avoid any classified details. "Once that task was completed, I held the line and eliminated a Covenant supercarrier to allow the ship which had received the asset to escape. After a short battle with Covenant forces elsewhere I made my way through a number of downed UNSC vessels and a battlefield. There was an explosion from a piece of Forerunner technology and I awoke on this planet."

"Reach, you say?" Johnson asked, the Spartan nodding at him after a moment. "The Pillar of Autumn, that's where you delivered your 'asset' to, isn't it?" The Spartan blinked behind his helmet, recoiling in earnest surprise at the assertion, and Johnson nodded with a grave, serious look on his face. "Spartan friend of mine was on board, he told me 'bout it later on. After we'd fought together for a while, at least."

"You killed a Prophet?" Six asked suddenly, surprised and excited in a novel way, he wasn't too fond of showing his emotions so openly. They tended to pose risk, in his experience. The man held up his hand in warning.

"Okay, Spartan, I need you to understand some shit got real complicated real fucking quick before I finish this story." Johnson said seriously, tone low and eyes hard as they bored into his visor in a way that told the Spartan that the other man didn't care about his armor or training. Whether that was because he'd seen worse or just a feint, the Spartan wasn't sure. "Because what I'm bout to start sayin' you probably won't like, 'specially if your last moments in our universe, or whatever the hell you wanna say, were back when Reach fell."

"I understand," the Spartan answered after a moment

"I don't think you do." Johnson took a long pull from his cigar, discarding the spent thing on the table and relaxing into the couch's comfortable cushions. "See, first I have to tell you 'bout the Flood. Now, I can't get into them too much, a lot of it is classified sixteen ways to Sunday." He gestured at the Spartan in front of him with a smirk, "You know all about classified Spartan shit though. Think of zombies mixed with mushrooms, squid maybe and a touch of the devil himself, and you'll have a watered down idea."

"You can't be serious." Six deadpanned. Immortal body hopping wizards, maidens with elemental powers, and now zombies? Magic was, Six decide, was far too common. "I find that a very hard prospect to believe."

"Believe what ya want, I wouldn't say it if it weren't true," Johnson shrugged uncaringly, fishing out another cigar and rolling it in his fingers absentmindedly. "Look, I don't care what ya think of the facts. Still facts. Now you want me to keep talkin', or would you rather save it for later?"

"Qrow Branwen and the children have just reached the gates, Noble Six," Dot interrupted. Out loud. "All are armed and are currently attempting to bypass the security measures I brought up."

"Dot," he growled, a warning in his voice.

"The Sergeant hasn't reacted to my presence, Noble Six," she observed, this time inside his helmet. "I suspected he would not, just as any Marine from the UNSC wouldn't. His lack of reaction implies he is used to artificial intelligences more advanced than I assume Remnant possess, and he doesn't appear to be looking for a massive storage space either, implying knowledge of how AI can be integrated into MJOLNIR series armor. Furthermore, his familiarity with Spartans as a whole seems genuine, given his lack of awe for you. The preceding reasons appear to confirm his story and mark him as an in-the-know operative."

"Chief had an AI in his head too," Johnson offered. When Six looked at him in question he shrugged. "Plugged into the back of his helmet, let him do stuff. She'd update navpoints and provide him with information in the field. Pretty damn useful, if I remember correctly."

"You should have asked my permission first." Six grunted to his AI. He'd have refused if she'd asked initially, and the chain of command needed to be respected. On the other hand... "You do appear to be who you say you are," Six admitted. "Even if your story seems too fantastic to be true."

"Works for me," Johnson shrugged, letting out a long breath. "Not even the craziest part though."

Sighing, Six spoke to the AI quietly, "Let the kids in and message Qrow to wait for me and that everything is alright." The AI beeped quietly in confirmation as he looked at the Marine through his visor. "Continue."

"Well, long story short, there was a civil war in the Covenant when one of the Prophets died. Don't remember which one it was, but Chief killed the ugly bastard." He lit the cigar and took a long puff, sighing contentedly. "After that? Well, the Prophets turned on the Elites. Stripped 'em of their rank, and then started wiping them out."

"And the Elites fought back," Six said, nodding. Of course they did, and the irony of a civil war being ended and caused by the Covenant was not lost on Six. Many thought that the Insurrectionists had weakened the UNSC prior to the Covenant's arrival on the scene, and the idea of a civil war plaguing the alien government elicited a chuckle for that reason. "I assume that weakened the Covenant itself enough for the UNSC to make a strike?"

"Not a chance," the grizzled man grunted, laughing around his cigar. "Nah, we were on our last legs, honestly. Down to Earth and a handful on planets, Regret," he snapped his fingers, "that's the one Chief killed, by the way. Anyways, yeah, they pushed us back to Earth. Regret even landed troops in Africa. We pushed 'em back though, but Truth came in force and wiped out New Mombasa."

"Damn," Six muttered. New Mombasa was a major industrial exporter, and a recruitment core as well. They facilitated the transport of Marine recruits offworld for training. Losing it would have devastated the UNSC's ability to train new units of soldiers. "That… is a serious blow to the UNSC."

"Eh, to be completely honest, everything was fucked already. That wasn't gonna do much in the long of it." Johnson coughed before continuing. "But what's important here is what happened next. You know why we managed to push _that_ fleet away?" The Spartan shook his head, waiting for him to continue. The man smiled, as though telling a joke Six didn't understand, "The _Elites_ helped us push them off-world, and pursued them."

"Because of the civil war." Six observed quickly, the pieces falling into place easily enough. "The Elites would have needed help against the whole of the rest of the Covenant, and we did too."

"Yep." Johnson took a long, deep drag from the cigar and let out the long breath. "The war ended when their leader, named the Arbiter, put his sword through Truth's chest. I don't know what happened to anyone after that, really. Helped deal with the damn Flood and then…" His voice dropped strangely and he scratched at his chest absently, "I wound up here."

"The Elites…" Six started, knowing the others were waiting still. "Could the Earth Defense Fleet have beaten them?"

"Yeah, probably," Johnson said after a few seconds' thought. "Least I think so, the Covenant fleet mostly blitzed in. We still had a large amount of frigates and the like flying when I left."

The Spartan nodded, taking a deep breath and rising easily. "Then I'll let it go and assume we won." A strange sense of pride and worth hit him, and he rested a hand on his thigh, where a set of dog tags rested. It _was_ worth it then, even if he didn't save Reach. "Now then, we should go and meet with my new team. You'll need to be caught up on a few topics, I'd wager."

Johnson nodded and stood, leaving his weapon and followed the Spartan out of the room. The duo stopped at the top of the landing, the Spartan nodding at Qrow when he waved. The older man made his way up the steps, shoulders hunched and flanked by Ruby and Jaune. Ren and Nora followed close behind, all four appraising Johnson silently for several long seconds.

"Six," Qrow said coolly, turning to look at the Spartan with a raised eyebrow anda clear question. "Friend of yours?"

"Of a sort, yes," Six answered, Johnson shrugging when Qrow looked at him again. "He's… like me, though, so he'll be useful."

Qrow's eyes narrowed and he grunted, "Where's Leo? He dead, or is he alive?"

"Alive. Stored him in an interior classroom he couldn't get out of." Six gestured to his side, towards the hallways with the room, "He's off that way, whenever you want to deal with him. And," he added, when Ruby looked like she wanted to say something, " _How_ Ozpin wants him dealt with, as well."

"Kids, wait in the office," Qrow ordered after a second's thought, and a glance to Oscar to see if Ozpin had an opinion. "Six, Oz, we'll go and see about Leo." He looked at Johnson, eyes going over his attire and appearance, and he looked to Six. "Can your 'friend' here be trusted to sit with them?"

"Not gonna let me in on the big secrets?" Johnson half-joked, shaking his head and turning for the office. "I can keep an eye on 'em, or whatever you want." Before the door closed behind he he yelled back "Just hurry the hell up with him! I'm already old, I don't need to be waitin' on you all."

"What… are you going to do?" Ruby asked quietly, looking up at Six with searching eyes. "Are you… going to kill him too?"

Six hesitated a moment before answering, thinking about it for a second longer than normal and then rethinking it. "Only if I have to. Him, we can turn in when we are done. Unless I am ordered to execute him, or he forces me to, I won't." She didn't seem to believe him, eyes narrowing slightly at him in suspicion. Six felt an uncomfortable feeling well up in his chest. "I promise, Ruby."

She nodded with a worried expression and turned, headed into the room and leaving the Spartan alone with Qrow and Oscar, now controlled by Ozpin if his stance and posture were any indication, alone on the landing. Ozpin spoke first."We likely will have to kill him, you know, Six."

"Qrow can, if it comes to that," Six said simply, looking down on the man-in-a-boy's-body. "I won't break my word to Ruby."

"Understandable, I suppose," Ozpin agreed, gesturing at the hallway. "Now, shall we? I've a great many questions for my old colleague."

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	18. Not So Lionhearted

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest, Odin has even agreed to assist me in finding my own place. So I'll be doing this all day, every day.**_

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The Spartan led the Huntsmen to the door, and they paused there for a moment, each hesitating to ask what they both knew had to _be_ asked. Eventually, the Spartan broke the silence.

"How do we want to do this, and how do we end it? I only know standard procedure for UNSC and ONI interrogation."

"ONI?" Qrow asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Office of Naval Intelligence. Classified operations, mainly," Six clarified. Qrow grunted and gestured for him to continue. "Interrogate subject for useful information, determine danger to operatives and operations, terminate if the danger is non-negligible. Read as 'any danger at all'. ONI also doesn't care what means are used. I'd wager the kids would, however."

"Yeah, probably," Qrow agreed, sighing and rubbing the back of his neck. "Ruby wouldn't like it if we just murdered him outright."

"Assuming she found out."

"She would," Qrow assured Six, sighing and resting his hands on his hips, a bemused expression playing across his face as he stared at the door. "She's just like her mother, that one. Always finding out whatever she wants to know. Never mattered if it was good for her before. Won't now."

"You knew her mother?" Six asked curiously, while quietly directing Dot to catalog Ruby's family lineage. That Qrow spoke in the _past_ tense was telling as well, Something Dot noted as such, at least, in the little note on his HUD that she was working on.

"Uh, yeah, you could say that." Qrow paused for a second before shrugging. "We were partners at Beacon. That makes people close, makes 'em get to know each other pretty well when you're learning, and Teams tend to stay together in the years after to."

"ONI records of Spartans does show that partners were closer than teams were on average," Six agreed. He liked to validate opinions with facts where he could. It made things more… tangible. "The same was apparent in other branches and specializations as well, and further observations showed…" he realized he was losing his audience as Qrow's eyes began to glaze over. "Sorry."

"Yeah," Qrow said, nodding with a slightly confused expression, an eyebrow raised and his head tilted slightly to the side much like Ruby sometimes did. "You… Don't normally ramble about anything."

"I like psychology," Six answered. The Huntsman coughing out a laugh. "It's practical and useful, both for gauging combatants and enemy units and for obtaining information," Six said defensively.

"You studied?"

"Spartans like myself are sometimes trained in basic and advanced disciplines to enable mission objectives," Six said, nodding at the slightly older man. "I enjoyed it and furthered my studies between operations."

"Then let me take lead, and give me whatever insights you get," Qrow said. The Spartan nodded in assent as Qrow turned and pulled the door open, stepping into the room beyond with his hands shoved in his pockets.

It was mostly open, aside from a half-dozen chairs scattered about the room and a single large desk against the far wall, boxes stacked up around and on top of it. The former Headmaster was sitting against the wall of boxes, watching them carefully from between his knees. Six idly hit a switch as he pulled the door shut, causing the lights to flicker on. Qrow kicked one of the chairs closest to him, spinning it and plopping down in front of the Faunus, only a few feet away. He stabbed his sword into the wooden floor and left it standing, still as a statue. Six stood behind the Huntsman, arms crossed comfortably.

After a few seconds, Qrow spoke. "I just can't wrap my head 'round it, you know."

"Around what?" The Faunus asked, eyes narrowing at him suspiciously.

"Why you'd stab us all in the back like this. I mean," he chuckled, spreading his arms wide and letting out a whistle. "I can get wanting out. I can. I've thought 'bout it myself on occasion. Occasions, really. But _betraying_ everyone?" Qrow shook his head, crossing his arms and glaring at the Headmaster. " _That_ I don't quite get."

"We can't beat Salem, people just die fighting her," Leo explained, straightening and looking between them hopefully and fearfully in the same measure. "Every last man and woman, Huntsmen and soldier, even Maidens and Ozpin himself… None have so much as wounded her. B-But, if we are useful to her, and we allow her to rule-"

"Then she'll run us over, strip us down, and enslave us," Qrow finished for him, shaking his head and grinding his teeth aggravatedly. "And the moment, _the moment_ , that anyone at all is the least bit inconvenient? Or even just fails in some minor fuckin' way outside their control? She'll kill them. Her Grimm already slaughter us in droves and-"

"And she'll stop when the people serve her!" Leo shouted, almost pleading. Qrow stared him down and the Faunus sighed before standing up and pacing along the line of boxes. Qrow turned his chair with the heel of his boot, the chair scraping against the floor lightly. Six paced with the Faunus, long and purposeful strides matched against Leonardo's hesitant, weak half-steps. "Think outside of Ozpin's little box, Qrow! If we're _hers_ she has no reason at all to harm us. None! Why would she? Letting her children raze and ravage would serve no purpose. Right now? They are _soldiers_ for her, fighting us at every front."

"Soldiers do not disappear when a war is won," Six interrupted, standing only a foot from the frightened man. "Soldiers who win their wars find more, always. They can't live outside of it. Those Grimm? Do you truly believe every action, every claw swung, is at her will? I don't."

Six didn't know much about the Grimm, admittedly, but safe assumptions to make. Even AI had a limit in the intricacies they could work in, and the minutia with which they could control machines. Replace the AI with Salem, and the machines with Grimm and you had a functional hypothesis.

He hoped.

"Because you know plenty about Grimm, don't you?" the former headmaster demanded hotly, stepping closer to the Spartan and glaring into his visor for all of five seconds before the momentary courage fled and he staggered back, swallowing nervously. "N-Neither of you have ever seen Salem, or what she can do. N-Not up close, not like I have."

"Cowardice doesn't explain or excuse you stabbin' us in the back, Leonardo," Qrow grumbled as he stood, yanking his large blade from the wood and resting it on his shoulder in one fluid movement. Six stepped back several steps to let Qrow move between them. "How many people are dead 'cuz of you?"

"I don't-"

Qrow grabbed Leo by the throat and yanked him, close, close enough for their foreheads to touch, whispering low and dangerous. "Don't fuck with me Lionheart, or Six will break your arm." The Faunus looked over the man's shoulder and Six turned, lifted one of the metal chairs and bent it effortlessly, the metal groaning and protesting as it broke and warped. He dropped the ball of metal on the ground and Qrow continued, "How many names have you handed her and her little posse?"

The Faunus swallowed anxiously, looking between the men several times before Qrow let him down and he staggered back, rubbing his throat. "I did what I had to!"

"How many?"

"I don't know Qrow, how many villages are there around Mistral?" the Faunus screamed back, face red and eyes narrowed before he looked at the ground and leaned against the boxes, slowly sliding to the floor. "That was the deal… I tell her names, where Huntsman who Ozpin and you work with will be, she spares a village. I tried resisting, and Toreha was found razed a few days later."

A silence fell over the room, until Qrow finally spoke after a long minute, "You… You've been trading Huntsmen and Huntresses for settlements on the frontier?"

"Yes, I have," Leo said slowly, almost a growl in itself. He never raised his head, sighing and continuing after neither of his captors spoke. "I did the best I could for the most people I could."

"Then you failed utterly to accomplish anything whatsoever of any true note," Six countered. The two Huntsmen both turned in surprise. Six sighed, shaking his head dismissively. "It doesn't _matter_ if you save a few towns and huts if the people needed to guard them are gone. Once you give her all she wanted, what is there to stop her from just wiping those same settlements off the map anyways?"

"And when ya take into account that Huntsmen are people too, it gets even worse. You can talk all you want about how fighting Salem is the wrong course of action, that it's useless, whatever the hell ya want to say. But when you start getting people killed, we have a problem." Qrow turned, storming towards the door with a sigh. "Changed my mind. You handle him. Find out everything he knows, and I'll deal with him after."

"Are you-"

"Yeah, Six, I'm sure." Qrow said. "I'll be across the hall when you're done, keepin' an eye out in case Ruby starts headin' this way." He waited until Six nodded, then he left.

Rolling his neck until it popped, the Spartan let out a sigh and let his arms hang at his sides as he stepped toward the man sitting on the ground. The Faunus looked up at him for a few seconds, eyes nervous and wide. Kneeling down, Six pressed his visor close to the Faunus' face, frowning behind it and tilting it to the side. Quietly, he commanded Dot to bring up any monitoring equipment his suit had, and he nodded insatisfaction when a pulse readout popped up on the side of his screen. Not much, but helpful anyways. Cracking his knuckles theatrically, he got to work.

The coward wouldn't take long.

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Six stepped out of the room to find Qrow leaning against the corner where the hall let out into the entry atrium.

"Get anything good outta him?" The Huntsman asked, eyes closed and head sagging on his chest as he rested. "You two were a touch loud for a bit, ya know."

"He held out slightly longer than anticipated, but eventually gave up and started revealing more detailed and important items. It seems he had hoped that by giving me scraps of less valuable intel, he could escape giving me the most important pieces." The Spartan shrugged, letting out a long breath as he relaxed. "Nothing I couldn't handle, and most of the noise wasn't me doing anything."

"All that yelling?"

"He and I were arguing, same subjects as before you left. I kept things quiet once we got physical. I didn't want to alert anyone," Six explained. "Turns out, Salem didn't inform him of much. All he knows is that Watts is in the region and that he'll be heading towards Raven soon. Originally, it was happening in two day's time. Now? He's got no clue."

"I saw the blood, yeah. He's hurtin' from whatever your... friend?" Qrow tried. When Six didn't object, he went back to talking. "Whatever he hit him with, it hurt him bad enough that we'll either have plenty of time to work with while he gets healed up, or none 'cuz he called in help." Qrow sighed, fished his flask out and took a drink from it. "What sucks is we've gotta act like it's the worst case scenario since we don't know."

"That is the prudent course of action," Six agreed, nodding along. "Do you have specific suggestions?"

"Ask Oz, and do what he thinks is best," The Huntsman's answer held no hesitance, and the Spartan could appreciate that. Loyalty to someone more experienced, and with good reason. Ozpin had been fighting his war longer than Six had been alive, maybe for longer than the UNSC if the timeline laid out by the wizard was true. "You got ideas of your own, Six?"

"None," Six said, half a lie. His only ideas were of little use took too long to get running. "What should be done with Lionheart?"

"Same answer. We ask Oz what he wants done, and one of us do it." Sighing, Qrow jerked his head towards the classroom-turned-cell. "You talk to Oz, I'll keep an eye on things here."

Six nodded and walked to the office door. When he pushed it open, it was to the sight of the kids sitting around Johnson, his boots on the desk and a cigar in his mouth. "...so I grabbed my shotgun and blasted the dumbass recruit across the chest with some birdshot and said to him 'That is why you wear that armor, boy, now get it on.' And he didn't say shit after."

Oscar, standing closer to the door while the children listened to the man's - hopefully non-classified - stories, turned when Six stepped beside him. "Six."

"Finished with Leonardo. Confirmed most of our suspicions, only new information he had to offer was why he did it." The young boy hummed curiously, and Six explained. "He was trading Huntsmen and Huntresses for settlements. Salem demanded their names and locations, and if he gave in she spared a village. If not, she had it destroyed."

"And so he effected a betrayal to make a trade and save innocents. At least in his eyes, it must have been an easy enough choice." Ozpin chuckled dryly, shaking his head. "Understandable, if unfortunate. Still, he has betrayed us. We can't trust him outside a cell."

"Or the ground."

"True," Ozpin agreed, watching Ruby pick up the Marine's sidearm and start looking it over excitedly. "I trust he is still breathing?"

"Yes. Qrow is watching him."

"Good. I have a friend in the Mistralian Military Police, they have jurisdiction here and will accept if I claim that he's been getting Hunters killed." The boy smiled bitterly, an odd look on such a young face. "Not a false statement. Just not complete."

"How long until he's taken off our hands?" Six asked. "The sooner he's dealt with, the sooner we can move on to our next objective. Qrow believes we have no time to delay. I agree."

"As do I," Ozpin agreed, nodding. "I'll send word via Scroll immediately and request it be kept under the radar. We should only be delayed an hour or two. Take that time to prepare however you can, Six. If we run into agents of Salem's, they will be far more prepared."

"Agreed." Six said, mind racing. With one wounded and the other dead, both by his hand, any element of surprise was well and truly lost, and Watts had more than likely found some weaknesses in his fighting style. "They'll plan for me."

"Miss Rose as well, I am afraid," Ozpin agreed. "It seems that Cinder is vulnerable to an ability of hers. They'll bring extra firepower for that as well, if they can manage it."

Ruby? A threat? He appraised her from a distance, now examining the rounds Johnson's sidearm used excitedly, asking him question after question about the weapons while the man let her prattle on, a small, warm smile on his face. Hard to imagine, but if Ozpin said it…

"I'll keep an eye on her when the fighting starts,"

"Qrow and I would appreciate it," Ozpin said, smiling at him and inclining his head towards them politely. "I'm handing control to Oscar for a time. I need rest and he deserves some time to enjoy the peace. Try to relax."

"Yes, sir," Six responded. Ozpin walked away to join the group, shifting to Oscar once he joined the circle of kids. Ren grabbed his shoulders to catch him as he stumbled, and after a moment Six followed.

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	19. The Night Before

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Shadie**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest, Odin has even agreed to assist me in finding my own place. So I'll be doing this all day, every day.**_

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After a few hours, masked Mistralian police showed up. They reminded him of ODSTs, save for the brown on bronze color scheme rather than straight matte black. Long, smooth plating encasing the arms and legs, with knee and elbow pads to bridge the gap in protection, glossy and rounded, cover the whole knee and attached somewhere under it. Black cloth hung off each hip, the symbol of Mistral embroidered in red, a stark difference from every other 'faction' he'd seen in the stratified city, though he didn't know what the different colors meant. Their streamlined rifles were fully encased by a cool, white metal with that same symbol emblazoned on the oval shaped metal that encased everything from the grip and sight, a small ring of metal with a plus in the middle, forward until the barrel tip that stuck a few inches out from the casing, a venting port going halfway out below it. A padded stock of grey metal attached itself to the back of the grip.

The soldiers stopped in front of him at the gate, the rifles held across their chests. "Sir. We've been ordered on behalf of the Mistralian Military Police to come and retrieve a prisoner." The speaking soldier held up a hand, thick silver cuffs with a small red switch resting on in his armored palm. "We've brought Aura dampening cuffs as well."

"Understood," Six responded curtly, his own rifle resting on his back, loaded and ready if the doctor from before tried anything at all. "Do you have documentation to back your claim, and personal identification? I wouldn't want the old Headmaster slipping away."

"Yes sir," the soldier said, fishing out a small card around the size of a PDA and handing it to the Spartan, letting him peruse it.

Inside was a warrant for the seizure of Lionheart and identification papers for each of the soldiers, all of which Dot checked against the Mistralian information she could access from Haven's communications hub.

"Everything checks out, Dot?" Six asked after he muted his outward communication, thumbing through three pages of documents and letting her linger on each for a moment.

"The names and military registration numbers are accurate, Noble Six. The warrant and its identification number on page three for Lionheart are the correct numbers in Mistral's registry." She paused for a moment as she dug further before continuing. "Even the time of issuing is correct as well as who issued it, and from which office registry it was issued."

"So everything is in order then?" Six asked her, thumbing through the papers again for show and watching the soldiers. They didn't appear too terribly nervous, but how much of the nervousness he was looking for came from his experience with UNSC citizens? "They seem calm enough."

Dot pinged a VISR off of the men. "I'm not sensing raised pulses or heightened heartbeats. They seem genuine."

"Understood," the Spartan said, activating his microphone again. "Everything appears to be in order, officers. Please, follow me to where we're holding him and I will turn him over to your custody."

The two soldiers nodded, following him into the academy's grounds and towards the room where the ex-headmaster was being kept. At the door, the two soldiers stepped to either side and the leader - or so Six assumed, as he'd been addressing him thus far - addressed Six "You may leave now if you wish. We'll deal with the prisoner."

Six turned, pausing for a second before asking, "What will be done with him?"

The soldiers hesitated for a moment, masked faces turning towards each other. Six could see their throats moving as they spoke, and narrowed his eyes. So they had similar private communications too? Sound dampening helmets were no joke, and something that always made him nervous, even _if_ it was a bit hypocritical. Six took note of the technology. He'd need to keep it in mind if he dealt with them in the future.

"He'll be tried, sir," the leader eventually said. "If convicted, he'll be sent to an interrogation team in an attempt to gather information on his co-conspirators about whatever treason he committed. Then he will likely be executed." The soldier shrugged at the implications, the gesture almost strange coming from the armor-clad masked man's body. "Traitors aren't well received here, sir."

"I see," The Spartan said, sighing. Ruby would be inconsolable if she found out. _When_ more than likely, all things considered. "I will leave you to it, then. Be warned, he's been raving like a mad man, and he _is_ a headmaster. Should I wait in case you need assistance?"

"No sir," the leader answered quickly. "We have this under control. We're more than used dealing with Aura-enhanced individuals, and protocol dictates we not let non-Mistralian officers interfere in our operations. Thank you though, the offer is appreciated,"

Six nodded, turning and walking back to the office. As he pushed the door open, he managed to catch Ruby protesting, "-to go to bed, I'm not a little kid, Uncle Qrow!"

Inside, Johnson and Ozpin - Six was beginning to learn the tells by now for when they swapped over - were sitting on the other side of the large desk, the smaller man having taken the large seat at the center while Johnson sat on a classroom chair, his boots propped comfortably on the desk and his rifle leaning against it next to his feet.

"Look, Red, you gotta get some rest, alright? Everyone else already went to lay down in the dorms, and we have a day tomorrow." When Ruby tried to protests, Johnson clicked his tongue and flicked her forehead, causing the small girl to flinch back and holding her hands over the spot with a pout."And besides, the grownups got shit to talk though, so you're keepin' all of us up and about, waitin' on ya."

"B-But I can help too! And besides, you'll just have to explain everything to us later anyways, so…" she trailed off while Qrow shook his head and turned to Six, eyes watery and lips pouty. "You think I should stay, right Six?"

"I think this is none of my business," Six said simply, gesturing at Qrow. "He is as close to a Guardian as you have here right now. You should probably heed his advice, as he does have significantly more experience than you." That, and the more mature members of the group had things to discuss. Resting a hand on her head as he approached, he finished, "Just go ahead and rest up. I promise, this will be much more boring than you might think it will be."

"But…"

"Ruby, I promise," Six insisted, moving his hand to her shoulder and stepping to her right, encouraging her towards the door. She resisted, and he sighed, "I'll make a deal with you Ruby. You go to bed now, and when I have time, I'll teach you a few marksmen tricks from my Spartan training. I'm not quite sure how useful it will be given the differences between the SR-75 rifle and your Crescent Rose, but you're welcome to it either way."

"Really?" she asked quietly, head pushing down into her chest and pouting at him. He nodded and her eyes narrowed, holding a hand up with a pinky out. "You have to promise."

Six looked forst to the digit and then to her, and when she moved her hand towards him he lifted his own, laying his pinky across hers. "Like so?"

"Yeah, but you have to wrap it around mine." She bent it, her thin pinky wrapping around the armored one. When he mirrored, she smiled and bounced their hands up and down. "It's a promise then, so you better stick to it!"

He sighed and nodded, and Ruby left the room quickly after that. When the Spartan turned, he met smirking faces, especially from Johnson. "What?"

"Didn't know you Spartans were so damn good with kids is all," Johnson answered, chuckling and holding out a hand with his pinky extended. "I won't tell anyone. You want me to pinky swear on it?"

"Hilarious," Six deadpanned, turning to address Ozpin directly while Qrow choked on a chuckle. "You wanted her gone, so I am assuming that you already have some sort of plan for what to do next?"

"I have the general plan sorted, yes," Ozpin confirmed with an airy smile. "The specifics need work of course, but that is the way of all plans and strategies. One can only ever truly plan out generally and delegate the specifics to his aides and commanders. I'm sure you and Johnson here are well aware of that particular bit of military nature."

"A bit, yeah," Johnson answered, nodding curtly and crossing his arms. "Generals pass on orders to the Commanders, and they pass it on down to the grunts, and everyone add shit on the way to figure out how to do the damn thing in the first place. Old Marine joke is that a General can give an order to bring him lunch, and by the time it gets to the grunts, they're prepping a hunting expedition to procure him the most delicious meat in the galaxy."

"It's not that bad," Six protested. When the dark-skinned man looked at him, he amended his statemnt. "I mean, sometimes it's bad, just not _that_ bad. The, uh, the joke was… Funny though."

"In essence, my plan has two pieces," Ozpin interrupted, drawing every eye in the room to him. "Each is equally important and requires the other to succeed to its fullest possibility. We must get our group to Raven's camp, and do so before Salem and her minions manage to reach it and force Raven into some form of agreement. However, we also have to keep Haven secure and safe from attack as well. To that end, as it stands, I would suggest our two fastest people head for Raven immediately. That being Qrow and Six, assuming Spartan endurance is as inhuman as Mister Johnson here asserts?"

"I can get there before morning, Sir," Six answered crisply, nodding at the question. "All I need is a basic map to follow and I can clear the distance easily enough.."

"I'll be guiding you, so don't worry about it," Qrow said, shrugging as though it was the easiest and most obvious solution. Which, to be fair, was probably true. "Just keep an eye on me, and we'll make good enough time. Assumin' we can clear the Grimm as we go, of course."

"Which shouldn't be too terrible of a problem," Six replied "I doubt there are a large amount of Grimm like the one we faced in that settlement before. So long as we keep those encounters to a minimum, we should make near-optimal time."

"Good, but you'll need a bit more punch for this," Ozpin argued, gesturing at the door. "Miss Rose would make a wonderful addition to your unit for this. She's fast and adaptable, and possesses a weapon that could fill a hole in your team's setup." He raised a hand when Qrow started to argue, the man going silent. "Also worthy of note, however, is that Raven and Summer were on the same team."

"And they were close," Qrow admitted, growling the words lowly enough to surprise Six. The man had never disagreed with Ozpin so far and this was… odd. "And you want to use that, try and get Raven to let her in on that account."

"Yes." Ozpin said. "Ruby's… parentage, I suppose, could prove quite useful in securing your entry to the camp." He waved his hand to dispel Qrow's glare, and Six wondered what had soured the normally chipper man's mood so easily and quickly. "While I'm sure you could sneak in easily enough, it may pay dividends to prepare for if you get caught."

"Raven's not going to give a damn" Qrow grumble, quietly enough that Six suspected that it was meant to go unheard. More loudly, he said, "None of this requires putting Ruby back out there in danger, Oz, and you damn well know it. She should stay here, with her friends, and rest some more. Train."

"And how will she train to better use her scythe or in hand-to-hand if both people capable of training those items are gone?" Ozpin asked, gesturing at Six and Qrow. "No, Qrow. She should, and will, go with you. You can teach her a bit about roughing it in the true wildlands around the Kingdoms, off the roads and paths where patrols keep things tame."

"Do I get a choice?" Qrow demanded.

"Not this time, I'm afraid." Ozpin shrugged, sighing and pressing his palm to his forehead. "I do apologize, but I am going to insist you do as I am telling you. This is too important, Qrow. Now, go tell Miss Rose about this, and whatever else you think may help. You leave before dawn."

Qrow huffed and stood, shoving his chair back roughly and stalking out of the room, shoulders hunched as he went. Six watched him go, turning back to the other two awkwardly when the door slammed shut behind him. After a few tense seconds, Johnson started, "So… What will I be doing?"

"In a moment, Johnson. I need to give Six a few last words." Ozpin assured him, looking at the Spartan. "I would suggest you go and get some rest, as well as gathering whatever else you need for the mission."

That Ozpin didn't want anyone knowing what others were doing if he could help it went unspoken but understood. Apparently that included Six, though the Spartan might be more used to it than some of the other members of the group. Operational Security had been a factor for most of his life, and need-to-know bases had saved lives before, his included, so he didn't protest the gag order and left quietly.

Once in the hallway, he muted his microphone. "Dot, get me a map of the surrounding region. As detailed as you can manage."

"Understood, Noble Six," she chimed, searching through Haven's network. "I shall do my best. Would you like me to make access into Mistral's military servers for the best information?"

"Will you be caught?" he asked.

"Not likely," she replied, sounding almost offended and amused at the same time.

"Then do it," Six ordered, pushing open a door into a private classroom and drawing his rifle. "I'll be getting familiar with my weapon. Don't interrupt me unless you have something important, understood?"

"Yes, Noble Six."

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 _ **Dovakkiinsei :**_

 **About that~**

 _ **Scrublord 97 :**_

 **Very, very glad to hear it. Makes me glad to have that manner of effect.**

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 **Thanksalot~!**

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 **Sure~!**

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 **Oh boy indeed~!**

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 **I JUST KEEP CUTTING AND IT KEEPS GROWING! STOP THE HYDRA!**

 **Twisted ~**

 **Nope~ As always, thanks to my editor here for his work. He did a lot of trimming, and it looks better, even if I like to drone on about things sometimes.**


	20. The Branwen Tribe, Part I

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 _ **So I haven't ever done this, but I'm in a bad situation now and don't have much of a choice. See, I have been out of work for a while and unable to find anything to replace it where I live and still write at all. Only work I ever got was a seventy hour a week gig that I wouldn't have been able to write on. At all. Ten hour days with a half hour lunch and one fifteen minute break.**_

 _ **Needless to say, that wasn't going to allow me to do this at all, and I love you guys and this too much to ever let something stop it. Then the loss of the studio came, and we lost all our recording abilities and more. So while members of the channel has been willing to help run this as part of it, that money is stretched thinner than ever. This situation has been the cause of delays thus far as well.**_

 _ **As a result, in the next week or two, I'm either going to need more of you guys Supporting or I'll have to slow down my chapters to an extreme. As in, one every other week might be the best I can manage. Even a dollar or two would help immensely, and I'm sorry to be asking for it. But without that, I can't help it.**_

 _ **So please, if you can, I have to ask that you give me a hand. There's well almost three hundred of you, two bucks from that would solve the issue entirely.**_

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Six dropped from the small ledge, landing hard enough in the dirt to leave an imprint and rising in one motion, shooting forward into the cover of a tree and leaning against it with his rifle held off to the side. Three hours they'd been travelling and the terrain was rough as ever. Rising hills, sharp ledges, and trees clinging to every inch, so thick that armored units wouldn't be able to knock them over. That probably explained the lack of Grimm too, now that he thought about it. Monsters, yes, but even monsters gravitated to more hospitable climes.

He stepped out of the cover and advance two steps past the tree into the woods, moving past a bush and looking around. The forest was clear enough of forests and shrubs for him to at least be able see that it wasn't full of Grimm, so he lowered his left arm, swinging it forward three times before returning it to his rifle and kneeling. 'Come here.'

Two gentle thuds sounded behind him as Qrow and Ruby followed the Spartan's path. 'Here,' he signaled, rapping a knuckled gently on his helmet.

Holding up his hand with the palm flat and the fingers pointing towards the sky, he swung it forward several times. 'Column formation.' Reaching up with the same hand, he tapped his own helmet's crown. 'Follow me.'

Another gentle rap on his helmet and he began to move forward, the two scythe-wielders following close behind. They'd been at this for several hours now, a cycle of advancing to higher positions, checking their location to ensure they were on the right track towards the camp, scouting ahead, then advancing forward in a tight column.

Stopping at the top of a high ridge that opened out into a wide, rolling forest warmly lit by the morning sun, Six knelt and gestured far in front of them, smoke rising into the sky in thin plumes and finally broke the silence they'd been in, speaking in a low tone that still felt loud as a gunshot after the quiet, "That is the correct location?"

"Yeah, looks like. That or a village or somethin', cropped up between us and them since I left." Qrow sighed, nodding his head side to side before glancing at Six, "We need to rest before we keep goin' though. Get some food and water in us for the last haul."

Six nodded and the two Hunters dropped off their packs, small burlap things with bedrolls handing on the bottom, and took a seat on the soft grass under the trees clustered loosely around them. Six allowed his chin to fall to a rest on his chest as he relaxed against a tree, eyeing his radar and cradling his rifle in his arms.

"Yes, Ruby?" He asked when he noticed a pip on his radar approaching, smirking despite himself when she eeped and looking up at her.

"Uh, I thought you might be hungry, so… And stop doing that! It's rude." She held out a half of a sandwich and a bottle of water, peanut butter on wheat bread.

"I don't need it, Ruby."

"But-"

"Ruby, trust me," Six said, rapping his knuckle on his armor. "I'm not normal, and I eat less. You need to accept that, even if I appreciate the gesture. I need to know you trust me if I am going to trust you to have my back."

"What do you mean?" she asked, taking a seat next to the Spartan and chewing on the sandwich absently, thoughts of food forgotten.

"If you can't rely on me to know my capabilities and trust that I am experienced and know my limits, how can I trust you? You don't trust me, after all." He wasn't chiding her, and when she nodded understandingly he knew that she understood that. After a second he spoke again. "Now, show me the hand signs you remember and what they mean. After that, we'll run through some basic marksman protocols."

"Really?" She asked excitedly, squeeing loudly when he nodded and devouring her sandwich, talking around it all the while, "Acshuual military schniper schtuff? Aweschome!" She held up a finger and swallowed the sandwich, "Can we start now? Even if it's no normal stuff for here, it'll help, right?" She turned to Qrow, the amused man leaning against the tree a few feet away with his arms crossed, "Right, Uncle Qrow?"

Qrow stiffened and he followed the man's eyes, a small raven alighting on a tree nearby and watching them, cawing gently and picking at its feathers. When he looked back, Qrow had relaxed and was smiling again at Ruby, "Yeah, Little Rose, it should help either way, even if he's from a different country than you. Might be different, but still."

Ruby looked confused and almost asked about why Qrow was saying that, but Six stopped her. "Come on, Ruby, let's go to that ridge from earlier. I'll start you off with spotting and basic reconnaissance techniques. Should be useful enough." Rising as he spoke, he laid a hand on her shoulder and looked to Six. "You can keep things under control here?"

"Yeah." He nodded, the man sighing and plopping onto the ground to lean against the tree he'd been leaning against and fishing out his flask. "Have fun with your breathing exercises and bird watching. I'll… Get some rest I guess."

Six nodded, and they made their way to the ledge, Ruby practically vibrating in excitement at the prospect of learning from the Super Soldier. Kneeling on the ledge and scanning the forest for landmarks, he decided to start simple. Picking out a large rock, about three miles away based on Dot's math in his HUD's corner, made of a pale mineral and poking into the sky like a spear tip, thin and flat on one side and wider at the base, with a jagged edge that disappeared into the trees near the bottom.

"Alright, Ruby, first I need to establish how good you already are at marksman skills." Six said, turning to look at the young woman again. "We're only running basics, for now."

"Okay!" She almost squeeled, bouncing on the spot once or twice before kneeling when she saw him point to a spot next to him a second and third time. "So, mister teacher man, what are we doing first?"

"First, I want you to spot range for me." Pointing out the rock and waiting for her to follow his finger to it, he continued, "As best you can, gauge the distance from here to that rock." Seeing her budding pout, he added, "Gauging ranges is key for long range marksman, Ruby. I have seen you at closer ranges, you have good aim. Good instincts. You just have to get the math down and you'll be a deadly sniper."

"Really?" She asked nervously, chewing her lip in thought as she sighted down Crescent Rose's scope at the rock. "I'm… Kinda bad at math. Not, like, with mechanical stuff but like… The math where its just numbers and they don't mean anything and-""

"Ruby, relax." Six said simply, sighing less at her and more at her anxiety. "Think of them less as abstract then, think of them as items. Things, in the real world. The feet you're calculating aren't figures then, instead they're… The steps you'd take to get there, maybe, or maybe the way your bullet drops and sways with the very real wind and gravity. Just apply it however you need, the math will still work as long as you learn it and run the figures the right way to."

"Okay, I-I'll try to. But no teasing if I don't get it, okay?" She said, Six nodding and starting to explain the math to her.

Qrow joined them half an hour later, pushing through the brush quietly, and the two kneeling on the ledge turned to look at him, "Time's up, we gotta get going before we lose the light by the time we get there. How was the lesson?"

"It went well." Six said honestly as he rose and rolled his shoulders, "She just needs to get her head around the math and I would wager that she will be among the better marksman I've met."

"Yeah! Six says that if I can mark out ranges by myself, I can out-snipe professional soldiers that do it!" She bounced up to her uncle happily, Crescent Rose in her hands in rifle form. "Could you imagine? I could snipe out a Beowolf from a hundred miles away, if I got good enough!"

"Not quite that far, Ruby." Six chided gently, "You might get ten or so miles out, but beyond that even I can't hit things with a rifle. Now calm down before yo alert every Grimm in the forest, we have to get back under way."

She nodded and after a moment, Six stepped off the ledge and dropped, sliding along the side of the cliff until he hit the ground and sinking into crouch. Back to form, to get through the forest. He was mildly surprised, and impressed, at how quickly Ruby calmed herself down after a quick deep breath, returning to their previous methods easily. It was surprisingly professional of her, he felt.

It took another few hours until they saw signs of human civilization beyond just smoke plumes, a large palisade of sharpened tree trunks coming into view as they moved on. The area just around the camp was barren mostly, except for stumps from cleared trees and scattered sticks and twigs, too even to be anything but purposeful.

"It's on purpose." Qrow confirmed when he asked, the three leaning against a tree and hiding as best they could in the shadow of it as the sun descended. "Hides traps. Snares, pit falls sometimes, sound traps. Impossible to get around, unless you know all the spots."

"Do you?" Six asked, the man shaking his head.

"Nah, usually there's a few people who do it. They keep 'em different enough, so no one can sneak in." Qrow answered, rolling his shoulders and turning his head until his neck cracked. "My suggestion? We bust in the front door, assume Rae knows we're comin', and knock some heads."

"But…" The two turned to Ruby and she squeaked in surprise at the sudden attention, "I just don't think we should… You know, attack people who haven't _done_ something. You know? It just feels… Bad, I guess."

"Ruby, these guys are bandits." Qrow said slowly, talking quietly and flatly to try and get her to understand grimacing and taking a breath before continuing, as though to steady himself. "Every single person in that camp wants to be there. Every person in that camp also rapes, kills, steals, some of them take prisoners to torture and force themselves on them until they get bored and send them, naked and unarmed, into the forest. Guess how that goes?" Qrow sighed when she flinched at that, turning to look at the wall, "So while they didn't do anything to us, that doesn't mean they won't want to., that's why I didn't want you here. It's too damn dangerous."

" _And you want to use her to get into the camp."_ Six flinched at the memory, hands tightening instinctively on the weapon in his grip. Is this what Qrow had meant, had been worried about? That the bandits' leader would have some… attachment to Ruby, and would want her?

The thought wasn't a pleasant one to say the very least.

"Still, we should be better, shouldn't we?" She asked, Six sighing as his shoulders sagged. Truly, a purer heart than he'd ever met… Naive, foolish, and wrong in a litany of ways, but pure. "I mean, if they're bad, maybe if we show them how to be good, they will? I mean, you left here, right? And you're good!"

"Ruby-"

"How about a compromise." Six interrupted, before the argument could continue. "We'll go to the gate, see if they're willing to just… Let us in, without a fight. If they are, we'll be peaceable about all this. If they aren't…"

"If they start something then I-I'll…" She paused, swallowing anxiously and looking at the ground to to avoid Six's eyes, even beyond his visor. "I'll help fight."

"She probably knows we're coming." Qrow tossed in as well, one hand fishing for his flask and the other in his pocket. "She won't be happy to see me."

The backtracked, circling through the trees with the wall in sight until they found the gate, large dark doors framed by rough timbers on either side. A man and a woman in ragged jeans and thick shirts stood outside, sentries standing guard for the night as the sun descended. Having come from the East, they'd had to circle around and walk up a narrow path flanked by short shrubs and the same tall trees they'd been surrounded by for hours now. It took almost a minute once they were in sight of the gates before either of the guards outside it reacted, pushing off the wall and pulling sharp looking hunting knives, about the length of their forearms, and gave each other a quizzical look as the trio came to a stop ten feet away at a respectful distance.

"Qrow fucking Branwen?"

The man, face looking surprised and fearful at the same time, voice shaky even as he feigned courage by stepping forward. A sight Six was accustomed to after so many years, but… It wasn't fixed on him. Qrow instead stepped forward, sighing and avoiding the look. "Yeah, in the flesh and bone. Now how about you let us in?"

"No way!" The Woman behind him snarled, spitting past the man at Qrow's feet. The saliva fell far short, of course, but the point was made. "You're a Dust damned traitor, Brothers take you, you aren't getting in the camp unless we drag you in by a broken neck! Maybe make your little girl there a present for the men while we're at it. Bit of payback."

Ruby stiffened on Six's right when he stepped between her and the camp slightly, flicking his safety off. Qrow laid a hand on the grip of his sword, addressing the man, "So, I'm going to ask nicely, because Ruby wants me to. You gonna open that door, or are we gonna open _you_ first?"

"N-Not happening, traitor!" The man snarled, turning and taking a breath to shout, "Tres- Shit!"

Six shot forward faster than either of his teammates could totally see, covering the feet between him and the man in three steps and sliding his rifle onto his back by the time he took the second long stride. On instinct, he backpedaled and swung the sharp knife at Six wildly. The Spartan caught the and holding it, snapping the wrist as he stepped in and slammed his shoulder into the man's chest, hearing the crunch of ribs as he drove the man's air from his lungs and lifted. Turning as he hoisted the man, he hurled him bodily at the woman, slamming the wheezing man into her with enough forced to slam her into the gate with a dull thud, chains on the other side rattling loudly as Six followed after.

"Dust damn it!" The woman coughed, shoving the unconscious and likely dying man off her as she rose and swung up at the Spartan. He ducked under her swing and stood up, slamming the crown of his helmet into her chin hard enough to shatter teeth and bone and knock her out of the world of the conscious.

Six turned as she hit her knees and flopped forward, rolling his shoulders, "Better than a cry for help. And we tried, at least."

"You didn't kill them." Ruby observed quietly, looking at the breathing people on the ground as they grouped up at the gate, standing in the center where the divide between the two doors was.

He looked between them. One, ribs crushed and possibly bleeding internally and the other missing several teeth and concussed at the least. The man would likely die, but… "I didn't need to to complete the objective, so I spared them."

She smiled, and Qrow whistled lightly at him to get his attention, "Help me with the door?" Six nodded, taking a step back as the other two watched charging forward and slamming into the wood with all the force and weight of a fully armored Spartan. The wood splintered and cracked, the doors flying open as the chains were wrenched from the wood and flailed in the air, tearing down tents nearby. The right door's flimsy hinges snapped as it slammed into the palisade, before collapsing to the ground with a loud, booming thud and crushing several boxes. "I ment help pushing…"

"Sorry." Six said simply, shrugging as they stepped through and stopped just inside the gate's entrance, watching several people rush towards them. The first responders, likely the people who'd had weapons and armor already. "I'm going lethal. Wait for my signal to engage, understood."

Ruby grimaced but nodded understandingly and Qrow seemed to consent as well, spinning her rifle as it unfolded and Six strode forward to take their center, easing into a melee stance and drawing his knife in his right hand. Qrow on his right drew his own weapon, unfolding it into its scythe form and holding it in one hand so it rested on his shoulder almost lazily. Ruby held her behind her in one hand, her right, crouching low to the ground, coiled like a predator ready to strike.

Five men and women were rushing them, armed with knives like the ones the others had held outside, and Six took a readying breath, allowing his eyes to slide closed for a moment. Opening them, the enemies only five feet away, he grunted, "God."

Ruby shot forward the fastest, Roses fluttering through the air as she spun her scythe, sweeping a woman's legs before slamming the blunt back into her stomach and driving her into the ground. Qrow flashed past her as the closest to her lunged, letting slip a ragged cry slamming his spinning weapon up and into the man's jaw, the man flipping before he hit the ground.

The first man to reach Six didn't know him, and swung crazily with both hands on his blade for the super soldier's head. Six let the blade strike home, the weapon bouncing away and vibrating painfully in his arm as he recoiled, and Six stepped in, close enough to press his chest against the man's and slamming his fist into the side of his neck hard enough to snap his collar bone, the man choking a shout as he was spun on the spot and kicked forward into his closest ally, a woman who sidestepped his falling form as Six lunged at her with his knife aimed for her chest.

Trapped between the Spartan and a wall of crates, she couldn't do anything but choke as the knife bit into her and he slammed an elbow into her throat, her blade falling from limp fingers as she choked and the Spartan shoved her through the crates and into the tent beyond. The last opponent, an older man with a bare and scarred chest, growled and stopped his charge, watching the Spartan return to his stance carefully, analytically.

The careful gaze of an old fighter. A knife fighter.

Six slid his left leg forward, holding the same arm out with the palm open at his chest, not quite fully extended and with the right arm held back, knife held at his waist and at the ready. The man grimaced, jaw working as they circled, and Six stole a glance at the other two of his party, scythes spinning as they fought three more of the bandits, careful to avoid killing them.

And Six could see more bandits emerging from tents, some armed with small bullpup looking rifles, carbines, shotguns…

Six shot forward, the man backpedaling from his measure lunge and kicking at his leg. The black leather boots scraped off the armor uselessly, but the man had already thrown the punch it was meant to distract for. The meaty first slammed into his helmet and Six stabbed at the arm, tred sparks flying as his knife skated off and the man smirked.

"Aura, you son of a bitch!" He shouted, slamming a fist into the Spartan's stomach harder than a man had a right to, lifting the Spartan a few inches into the air from the force and driving him back.

The Spartan stumbled away, and for a moment, he saw a masked woman standing on top a tall watchtower, seemingly watching the fight. Blocking another strike with his unarmed arm, he grimaced at the weight and power behind it, enough to hurt through the armor and lower his shields another ten percent. Six tried to swing his own left arm in for a counter, the man ducking away and stepping back as a bandit stepped in, swinging an axe from what Six assumed had been meant as a blind spot, but had been negated by his radar.

He ducked under the swing, sliding forward and rising behind the off-balanced man, slamming the bottom of his fist holding the knife into his under arm and hooking and arm around his throat as he saw another pip lunging at him, spinning on his heel and dragging the man around to catch a bandit's spear in his stomach with a surprised, gurgled question. Six shoved the man to the side as he stepped forward, grabbing the blonde woman's wrist when she released the spear and tried to stumble away, burying the knife in her side, slipping between two ribs to gouge out her heart.

The older man jumped forward, slamming a kick into her back and shoving her into Six, the Spartan catching the woman and losing his knife as another powerful blow slammed into his visor, hard enough to force him back. He blinked, hearing the crackle of fire and opening his eyes as the man slammed a blow down onto the top of his chest-plate, staggering him further as the man spun with the right hook's motion, limbs wreathed in fire. He slammed a kick into his knee, hard enough to drive him to a kneeling position, and Six growled, hand closing around his pistol.

The Spartan turned, shooting up with all the force he could muster and slamming into the man's chest, and allowed the man to grip his armor and spin, hurling him a few feet away into a crate near the gate. Six rolled as he landed, thumbing the safety, and landed on his back, firing three rounds into his chest before he could react and raise his Aura. The man staggered away, coughing and glaring at him as Six rose and replaced the sidearm on his thigh.

"Fuckin' coward, pulling a dirty-" He slammed an elbow into his throat, crushing it before the man could continue and stepping by as he reached for his rifle, putting two bursts into a couple bandits with rifles. They fell and, as he cycled to another target, he saw a radar pip pop up on his radar and spun.

The masked woman stood there, less than a foot away among her dead and wounded comrades and, with an angry red blade in hand. He leapt back, raising his rifle as he did so, and she followed, grabbing his rifle as they landed and he fired. She forced it aside, and he released the weapon, the woman stumbling just barely in surprise at his so easily abandoning his weapon before she swung down at his shoulder. He raised his left arm, the blade digging centimeter into the armor, and he lunged forward, slamming a fist into her stomach and expecting her to fold around his fist.

And meeting air as she vanished, and the Spartan staggered away. He spun on the spot, arms raised protectively as he searched for her. "VISR scan." He barked, looking for a cloaked enemy as he spun and finding nothing. His radar returned the same result, "What the-" He just caught a strange ruffling sound, turning in time to see her white mask and angry, red eyes underneath.

He backpedaled as she drew her weapon, her blade carving across his breastplate as he stumbled away, falling and rolling as he did so, drawing his sidearm as he came up and leveling it at her and firing twice for her chest. She deflected the rounds away impossibly with two flicks, and his sidearm with another, chuckling as he rose and settled into boxing stance.

"Enough." She said, flicking the sword and turning, raising her voice, "Enough, all of you!" He was surprised by how quickly the bandits disengaged at her order, the woman addressing Qrow next, "You know, Qrow, you could have just asked to come in politely."

"I did." He said simply, stepping in front of Ruby protectively where they had wound up, "Your people attacked us when I did."

"I see." She sighed, shaking her head and sheathing her ludicrously long sword, turning and heading for the large tent up past the clearing in what he assumed had to be the center of camp. "You three come along then, we'll have a chat since you came all this way and killed… Five of my men?" She asked, turning to look at Six over her shoulder, "About right?"

"They attacked me first." He dismissed simply as she passed and turning with her, his guard raised. 'I eliminated the threats. They'd have been smart not to attack me without knowing anything about me. If they had, they'd have known they couldn't beat me."

She laughed, and he blinked in surprise at the long, loud sound as she came to a stop and turned fully, "Ah, you I like." She looked to Qrow, gesturing at the Spartan, "He would fit in here. That why you brought him and Summer's daughter?"

"No." He growled, Six taking a cautious step closer to his sidearm behind him and the rifle beyond that. "You know why I'm here."

"Yes, you told me already. We'll discuss it in my tent, Qrow." She admitted, resuming her walk towards her tent. "The rest of you, clean this mess up! And cool the hell off, before you attract some _very_ unwanted attention!"

Six sent a look to Qrow and he nodded, the Spartan only relaxing when he did and turning to retrieve his weapons. He replaced his rifle on his back, checking his sidearm for damage as he turned, looking at Ruby when she flashed to his side, "Yes?"

"Are you... okay?" She asked nervously, the Spartan nodded as he moved to the dead woman from earlier, lying on her other side with the pommel of his knife sticking up into the air.

"I am fine, Ruby." He knelt and yanked it free, wiping it on her blouse before standing and turning to look at the girl. A small cut on her side bled slightly, and he grunted, "You're wounded."

"I-It's just a scratch." She dismissed, batting at his hand when he tried to check on it. "It's fine, Six, my Aura will heal it before I can even _get_ a bandage for it." He nodded, following behind Qrow towards the tent and watching the bandits. Raising his arm, he inspected the scratch on his armor with some distress.

These crazy people were damaging his armor way too often for his liking…

"Take a seat." The woman ordered as he entered, sitting atop a dresser in the corner in the surprisingly bare tent. Well, bare considering her station, at the least. Qrow and Ruby both sat on the small bench at the end of the bed, the older of the two reclining comfortably with his arm around Ruby protectively. Six turned as the flap of the tent slapped closed behind him, regarding a woman that was leaning against the post there seriously until the other woman spoke again, "That's Vernal, she's my bodyguard. You don't need to concern yourself with her."

He grunted, stepping to Ruby's other side with his rifle in his arms, "I concern myself with whatever I consider a threat."

"As you prefer." She said, sighing almost wistfully at the Spartan. "I suppose proper introductions are in order, I doubt that my dear brother here did it. I am Raven Branwen, Chieftess of the Branwen tribe. And you two are Noble Six and Ruby Rose, the supposed offspring of Tai and my old, deceased friend, right?"

Ruby stiffened and Six glared, speaking for them as Raven removed her mask and sat it next to her, "Yes. And I would request that you not disrespect the dead, particularly in front of Ruby. Her parentage should be irrelevant here, and I think all three of us would thank you for not using it against her."

"What are you talking about?" Raven asked, chuckling dryly, "I'm not mocking or disrespecting young Ruby here. She has more a right to be here than either of you two, after all. Qrow is a traitor of the clan, and you have no blood ties here. Unlike Ruby."

"Raven." Qrow growled lowly, eyes narrowing at her in warning. "Stop." She gave him a look, leaning back and crossing her arms, smirking thinly and Qrow grimaced, his voice strained. "Please, Raven. Don't."

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked nervously, looking between Raven and him, "W-What is going on?What is she… talking about?"

Raven chuckled brightly, "Yes, _Uncle_ Qrow, what is going on? What _am_ I talking about?" Qrow glared at her, and she laughed brightly, "It would appear you have something _I_ want now, so what will you give me, I wonder? Or perhaps I should tell her what we're talking about?"

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 _ **The Fish King :**_

 **Surprise~?**

 _ **Spartan 3909 :**_

 **TOP HAS FICS?!**

 _ **War Panda II :**_

 **Danke.**

 _ **Colossus Bridger :**_

 **I plead the fifth.**

 _ **Liam Jones :**_

 **Are they? I could never find any full confirmation. That said, I don't THINK I have outright stated a biological age for him. If I have… I can't do much now.**

 _ **Andy 201 :**_

 **Thanks! And thank Top Hat for it too. The grammar is thanks to him, usually.**

 _ **Gizmo Gear :**_

 **I plead the fifth. *Hides pictures***

 _ **Scrub Lord :**_

 **I plead the SUPER fifth?**


	21. The Branwen Tribe, Part II

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

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 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

 _ **As of now, I and the channel are struggling financially. So please, if you can, become a Supporter. We'll be uploading art and concepts soonish on a project of my own making too, and you'll get to be a part of it~! And I'll get dinner as a side benefit~!**_

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"That isn't why any of us are here." Six cut in, interrupting them with his low, deep voice. Raven turned to look at him, scowling angrily, and Six added, "We are only here to ascertain the location of a Maiden. Nothing else is of concern to anyone here, right now at least. If you have information that could be important, but which falls out of that topic, it is best saved for later."

"And why do _you_ get to make that decision?" Raven asked after a moment, gesturing at the other two who had fallen silent as Six spoke. "Do neither of them get any input in this decision?"

"I-I agree with Six." Ruby queaked, eeping and scrunching in on herself when every eye - and visor, in the Spartan's case - turned on her at once. Swallowing, she forced herself to sit straighter, "I-I agree with Six. Whatever you have to say to me, you can say later. After we deal with… Our stuff." She turned to look at Qrow, the man smiling in a mildly impressed way, "R-Right, Uncle Qrow?"

"Yeah, kiddo. Yeah." The man turned to look at his sister, face lazy and smug at the same time, eyebrows raised and a smirk on his face, his head at a mocking angle. "Now, Rae, you ready to get to the nitty gritty we came here for? Pr you got a few more distractions?"

"Distractions?" Raven scoffed, shaking her head and sighing where she sat before finally letting out a suffering breath. "Fine then, fine. You want the Spring Maiden? She isn't yours to take, nor is she yours to protect. She is _mine_. Her power is _mine_. And she will, and is, serving a tribe you turned your back on, dear brother. Worse, one that you have just attacked."

"In fairness, we _did_ ask nicely to be let in." Qrow argued with a shrug. "And we, well me and Ruby, left most of our opponents breathin'. Six isn't… usually big on it, if he's in a fight. And he was gettin' kinda pressed hard there. Probably didn't have a choice in the matter."

"I was trained in primarily lethal combat styles." The Spartan agreed, shrugging, "I won't get myself killed trying to change it against someone like that man I fought." Or he'd quite literally get burned… "I'm sorry for your loss, however."

"Why do you say that?" Raven asked curiously.

"Isn't that what you're supposed to say?" He responded, equally as honest before turning to look at Ruby, "Isn't it?"

"I-I think you're not supposed to when you're the one that killed them…" She sighed, shaking her head good naturedly at him. When the Spartan continued to look at her, she forced a small smile, "But… You're trying, I guess, so... Yay?"

"Anyway," Qrow interrupted, sighing irritatedly and fishing for his flask in his jacket as he spoke, "We need to know where the Maiden is, and keep her safe until Oz gets back up to full power."

"Ozpin is really died?" Raven asked, blinking in genuine surprise for a moment as her gaze shifted to Vernal. Her mouth worked for a few moments, as though thinking hard about what to say next, and she sighed. "Fine. Vernal is the Spring Maiden. I keep her close by, nice and safe, so no one can hurt her."

"And I am _loyal_." Vernal added from behind them, Six turning and stepping back towards the edge of the tent, where the cloth was pinned to the ground so he could watch them both well enough. He had no idea what a Maiden could do, not really. "So don't bother trying to convince me against staying with Raven."

"Exactly." Raven said quickly, "So sorry that you wasted the trip, but-" A loud thud sounded as a man slammed into the wooden platform the tent was on, his head sliding under the tent's entrance, "Oh, what now?"

"Mom! Get out here, before I mess up some more of your goons!" A voice called angrily from outside, "You got five seconds before I break another face! I am _not_ in the mood for this shit!"

"Yang?" Ruby called, shooting out the tent's entrance after a second. "Yang! Why are you here? I can't believe it!"

"Firecracker?" Qrow muttered in disbelief, Raven's jaw working soundlessly before the man turned back to her, "We'll finish this in a minute. But you should know, Salem is coming for the Maidens. Actively."

"I have eliminated one already." Six confirmed, Raven's eyebrows shooting up at the assertion. "I also bested Leonardo Lionheart in combat and turned him in, an ally of mine wounding another of Salem's men in the process." That he hadn't actually needed to _fight_ Lionheart wasn't important, and the lie was useful enough. "We are offering to take their eyes off you, because we have dealt with them and come out on top."

"My tribe can handle itself." She argued, Vernal moving past the Spartan to stand next to her. She spared the younger, smaller woman a glance, nodding at her, "Vernal is well-trained and we are more than prepared for them. But that can wait."

"Six!" Ruby squeaked when the four of them stepped out of the tent, flashing to stand in front of him so suddenly he flinched back as the rose petals flew past him, "Come meet my sister! My sister's here!" Turning, Ruby looked at a blonde woman and waved, the woman waving back with a robotic arm, "Yang, this is Six!"

"Ruby? Is that you I hear out there?" A voice called from behind several tents as the Spartan and Qrow stepped down from the tent's platform, the wood creaking and splintering slightly with each step. "I'm locked in a cage over here! Was that you making all that racket earlier? I heard gunshots!"

"Weiss?" Ruby called out, head tilting as Yang rounded on Raven.

"Did you lock up my friend?!" She demanded hotly, Raven sighing tiredly and pinching the bridge of her nose. Yang took it as a confirmation, throwing her hands up in the air as her eyes flashed to a dark red, "Seriously? Mom, let her out!"

"Vernal, please go release the Schnee. Preferably before my daughter loses her cool and breaks something." She spared a glance for the unconscious man on her platform, sighing, "Again." The woman nodded, sighing as she walked off to do as she was told. Raven took the moment to turn to her daughter, "So, Yang, I assume you came for something else other than your friend?"

"I wanted to find my sister, and I did. Now, I want to leave with them." Yang said simply, crossing her arms and drumming her robotic fingers on her other arm. "I don't want anything to do with you, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Yang, you came all this way, and you won't even ask me anything?" Raven asked in mild surprise, "You don't have anything you want to know? I have a lot I could tell you, about Ozpin, myself, even Qrow and your sister. I was merely waiting for you to come here to find these things out yourself. To prove you had the strength for it."

"My strength?" Yang scoffed, laughing at the idea for a moment and shaking her head, "I was strong enough to lose my fucking arm! Don't bullshit me, if you wanted me to come here you could have just told me where you were. Not much of a test if you don't tell me what the test is. Now is it?"

"Strength is more than just physical prowess." Raven explained simply, gesturing at the camp around her. "We have among our number people who serve as our builders, out doctors and more. Knowledge is strength. The ability to find your own way, to solve problems, that is strength as well." She gestured at Yang with a proud smile and a wave of her hand, "And you have proven yourself to be strong. Smart enough to find your way here, strong enough to fight my people, and willful enough to lose a _limb_ and still take what you want."

"And all of that is going to help my sister. My family." She scoffed, looking Raven up and down, "Not that you know much about standing by your family, _Mom._ "

"Yang, you don't want to get wrapped up in this. I left you and your father because… Because I was scared for you. Summer didn't and she died for it." Raven said quietly and lowly, watching her daughter closely with a tight hand on the hilt of her sword, squeezing tight enough that he could practically hear the metal creak. "Believe me, the things they want you to fight-"

"She'll hear about from someone who didn't abandon protecting the world for a bunch of rapists and killers." Qrow cut in hotly with a scowl for Raven, stepping forward gently as his face softened and he reached out towards Yang's human side with a hand, "How ya doin' Firecracker?"

"I'm… Okay, I guess. Better." She answered the man standing in front of her, leaning to her right to see around him, holding up her golden arm, "I lost my arm, by the way. So you know, since you didn't show up to check on me after my school was attacked by terrorists and Grimm. I guess you were too busy."

Raven grimaced, looking at the tribe members standing around the clearing and leaning on crates, boxes and tent-poles. They scowled at them, Six in particular, and the Spartan moved between the bulk of them and Yang and Qrow protectively, his back to the them while he watched the tribesmen. He turned when he saw a couple of pips on his radar, watching Ruby and a white-clothed young woman he presumed to be Weiss approach, the brunette clinging to her almost comically while she put on a tired looking front and tried to ignore it.

The two stopped on Qrow's other side and the Spartan turned back to the majority of the tribe, watching them closely, and Qrow spoke first when Vernal joined Raven on the platform, "Raven, Vernal has to come with us. She isn't safe here, and you know that. You should-"

"Qrow." Six interrupted, looking up at the sky and raising his rifle as a moderately small ship passed over the camp, "What's that?"

"That, Six is a problem." Qrow answered simply, watching the ship tilt and come in for a landing somewhere out of sight in the forest. He turned back to Raven tucking his hands into his pockets, "Not us, so were you expectin' a delivery or somethin'?" Raven shook her head and he sighed, "Yeah, thought now. Probably Salem's people then, so what do you wanna do?"

"What can I do?" She asked simply.

"Come with us." Six offered simply, only barely turning his head to regard her where she stood. "To Haven. It is more defensible as a location than here is, that is for certain. And it has the benefit of not having an enemy ship with unknown numbers of combatants onboard." He turned on his heel to look at Qrow, "Regardless, I require orders."

"We're leaving." Qrow said after a long second, looking at Raven and sighing, "Rae, send Vernal with us. We can-"

"Vernal stays." Raven dismissed immediately, turning to the young woman and nodding towards her tent. "My Mask, Vernal." The young woman ducked into her tent and Raven continued, "This is Tribe business, in regards to Salem's goons and their demands. So if you aren't willing to fight me for the power of the Spring Maiden, then you can leave."

Qrow paused for a few long, tense seconds, and Six prepared for a fight or a flight both. The children caught on to that quickly, Vernal tossing Weiss' rapier to her as they fell into lace in a circle, Ruby and Yang's shoulders close to his with Weiss at his back and Qrow a couple feet away. Rave's sword came an inch out of her sheath, and the tribesman around them reached for weapons, pushed off crates and poles and barrels, waiting for a word from their chief.

"Nah." Qrow shrugged with his eyes closed, letting out a long breath and turning with a hunch in his step, "Can't take on your little group _and_ Salem's flunkies. C'mon, kids, we're leaving."

"Qrow-"

"No, Six." Qrow cut him off, talking over his shoulder as the girls looked between themselves and made to follow te drunk. "We start this fight, you and I are the only ones who _might_ walk out of it without the need for a shovel and an eight foot long hole in the ground. I ain't willin' to pay that price."

"I concur." Dot chimed in his ear quietly, "If you engage, most of the others will perish. Weiss appears weak and tired, and both she and Yang are unknowns. I can build no plans based with them. Raven, however, possesses a weapon I don't know of. It scratched your armor. Retreat is advised."

Sighing, Six nodded and made to follow them while Yang buffeted Ruby with questions, and Ruby buffeted her and Weiss with stories. It was going to be an interesting walk back, for sure.

"Ruby." Raven called as they reached the entrance to the camp, the woman standing on her platform still, on the edge and within sight. "If you want to know the truth about your lineage, come to me. You will always have family and a home among the Tribe."

After an hour of walking, Ruby finally spoke from the back of their group, "Uncle Qrow… What did she mean?"

Qrow stiffened and sighed, fishing out his flask and taking a swig, "Shit, Red, let's… Make a camp somewhere, and I'll tell you all a story." Ruby gave him a curious look, her head tilting slightly to the side when Qrow turned to look at her, and he sighed and smiled. "It's… a sad one, though. But it's important."

"O-Okay, uncle Qrow." Six heard him say as they came to a stop in a small area off the side of a large enough, paved road cutting through the forest. Big enough for a couple full size cars and a few tents, so they had more than enough space.

Qrow vanished into the forest to their wood for a fire, and his thoughts, and Six stood by the road as a guard, watching both directions warily and occasionally turning and pinging the forest around him with his VISR, looking for shapes that weren't trees. Or new shapes that had appeared since he'd last looked as well.

"Six?" The Spartan turned and looked don at Ruby, girl nervously poking at the edge of the pavement idly with her hands held behind her back, "What do you think Raven meant by… All that?"

That you and her are related, he thought. Instead of that, he shrugged, "I don't know for sure, Ruby. What do you think she meant?" Ruby didn't answer and Six added, "Just have patience, Ruby. Qrow will tell you everything soon enough."

"That's what I'm scared of, Six." She answered, turning and walking towards where Weiss and Yang were sitting, the blonde leaning against a large oak next to the road and Weiss sitting beside her with her legs folded under her.

"Dot, advise me on what to do." He ordered, feeling like he should do _something_ about what she'd said. The AI didn't respond for a moment and Six said, "Dot?"

"I have no data." She said simply, almost sadly. "But I… Feel like you should go and sit with them. Ruby would probably appreciate the company."

Six took two steps before his attention snapped to his radar, a pip shooting across the road towards the women, too fast and soon and from the wrong direction to be Qrow. Which made it a threat as far as he was concerned.

He launched from his spot as fast as he could move, slamming his fist into the tree to use as a braking mechanism and firing his rifle indiscriminately at the small figure, bracing his arm on his hip only a couple inches from where Ruby sat, the trio scrabbling up and away from him in utter surprise.

The small woman hit the ground, rolled and leapt over his lines of fire, spinning in the air as a heeled boot slammed into the side of his helmet with all the force of a Brute fist, shattering the boot itself on his mask and jerking his head to the side before using her other foot to push off his chest and shove the stunned Spartan, landing in the center of the road with a rapier in her right hand and a… parasol, of all things in her other. A small, dirty woman in stained white and black clothing and mismatched brown nd pink hair glared at him from her spot in the road.

No, she wasn't looking at Six, even as he slammed a fresh magazine into his rifle and slid to a better position with the weapon shouldered. No, those mismatched eyes, marred by what looked like water stains set in dark rings under her eyes, they were looking _past_ him.

At Ruby.

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 _ **Kalomin :**_

 **I am merely using it for this story. I like the premise, but I won't say beyond that. I am adopting a stance going forward of not backing any theories I use in stories. I apologize for that.**

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 **Yosh!**

 _ **Spartan 3909 :**_

 **Welcome~**

 _ **Scrub Lord 97 :**_

 **You'll see~ Also, things are slowly improving as Supporters join and help with morale and money alike.**

 _ **Armor Guest :**_

 **I haven't really had him being flung around like a rag doll by any humans, though, have I? He's being moved, sure, but people on Remnant are legit stronger than normal people. In the most recent fight, he was lifted a couple inches in the air by a brawler, like Yang is.**

 **Yang punched an Atlesian assault robot into pieces. I think lifting a Spartan a couple inches is reasonable. I mean no offence! It's just my opinion. Apologies if it bothers you, though.**


	22. An Eye for an Eye

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

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 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

 _ **As of now, I and the channel are struggling financially. So please, if you can, become a Supporter. We'll be uploading art and concepts soonish on a project of my own making too, and you'll get to be a part of it~! And I'll get dinner as a side benefit~!**_

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Yang was at his side in a moment, snarling, "Neo! The hell are you here for?" The small woman barely shifted her glare to Yang for a moment before looking to Ruby, her rapier trembling in her grip before she looked against past Six at the small woman standing behind him with Crescent Rose in her hand, and Yang's stance stiffened, "Ruby didn't kill him, he got killed for being an idiot."

"Hnnnnn!" The small, pale woman snarled, eyes flashing brown and then pink, and settling with one of each after a moment.

Weiss stepped away from Ruby and to Six's other side, holding Myrtenaster out threateningly, "You are far too outnumbered to seriously think you can win this fight. You should retreat."

The woman looked to Weiss, and then to Ruby, then her eyes roved them each. Taking them all in, the states of their weapons and their readiness, their clothes. The way Weiss seemed to be mildly tired, Yang's relatively good condition, Ruby's surprise and fear and the confusion at seeing the super soldier, but she didn't back down. Instead, she shifted to her right slightly, towards Weiss, to go after the weakest among them.

She was clearly coherent then, and probably banking on breaking through Weiss' defence to get at Ruby. But that was clearly suicidal, he and Yang would both be on her before she could secure a position. So, why do it at all?

"Her Semblance is some kinda teleportation." Yang said, turning her head slightly to the larger man, "You hit her, she smashes to pieces and pops up somewhere else. Dunno how it works though beyond that."

"And why is she here?" He asked, loudly enough that the small woman had to hear him. Her eyes narrowed at him, a sign he was right, and he continued, "What does she want with Ruby? She launched at her alone, aster almost han even I could react."

Which was saying something, Spartans could move when they wanted to, including himself.

"She was friends with a guy named Roman." Ruby explained quietly from behind him, almost sounding meek. Six looked over her shoulder the young warrior looking past him at 'Neo' sadly, "We fought on a battleship, and he… Got eaten by a Grimm he didn't see coming up behind him." Her face softened a touch, her shoulder relaxing, "It was an accident, Neo. I'm sorry."

"K-K-Kill-led h-him." Neo forced out, practically choking each sound from her throat with a pained expression. "K-Kill y-you f-for it-t."

"No!" Ruby squealed, trying to force her way past the Spartan. He sidestepped slightly so he could hold his left arm in her way, the girl stopping after a second without much struggle. "I didn't! I didn't even… I didn't even see the Gryphon either! I would have said something!"

"She had nightmares for days because she _thought_ she killed you." Yang added, the smaller women looking at her. One in contempt and disbelief, and the other in embarrassment and surprise. "The day after she woke up, when she remembered everything? The first thing she did was come and see me, laid up in bed without one of my _arms_ and ask if they'd ever found you. When she thought that you'd died…" Yang shook her head, ignoring Ruby's whine, "It tore her apart inside."

"Yang, stop…"

"No, Ruby, she needs to know." Yang snapped back at her, giving Neo a hard stare. "You lost someone you care about? So did a lot of people, thanks to his actions. I lost my arm! Don't pretend you're the only damn one who lost something."

In a flash, the moment shattered and Neo shot forward, Six's rifle snapping up and firing a burst at her. She shattered just as he'd been warned, and is eyes immediately went to his radar. A single pip unaccounted for, diving to his left, towards Weiss as she and Yang both slid into defensive stances. He jerked his gun to the side, firing several more rounds after the radar pip on his screen. The rounds deflected away as the woman appeared, kneeling with her parasol held out, and Six blinked his surprise.

"Did she just… Deflect my bullets with an umbrella?" He asked, Yang nodding and shooting forward with the force of her gauntlet, slamming her robotic arm into the parasol. The girl rolled under the parasol, sweeping Yang's legs out from under her, the brawler slamming onto her back as Six raised his rifle to cover her.

Instead, she lunged towards him, snarling angrily, and he was forced to drop the rifle again and slide into a brawling stance of his own, arms raised in a much more classic boxer stance than he normally used. Out of the corner of his eye, he just barely saw Weiss strike a kneeling position as a glyph spun up behind her, spinning faster than he could bother to follow. She stabbed in and he batted away the thin sword with his right gauntlet, sliding his left foot forward and grabbing her parasol holding arm, twisting it hard enough to break bone.

The girl shattered, and he spun and knelt in one motion, drawing and aiming his magnum as the girl came back into reality behind Weiss, falling down on her with a wide smirk. His first round caught her left leg, red shooting out from it as the round tore through, and the second shattered her as Weiss spun to defend herself and her glyph vanished.

He grunted as a weight slammed into his back, dropping his magnum on instinct so he could try and grapple the enemy off him as he felt the stabbing pain of his own knife being plunged into his shoulder where the pauldron ended and his armor opened up so he could turn his head. She yanked it free and stabbed down again, and he caught her forearm, slamming her down onto the dirt hard enough that her gasp was audible.

Yang leapt over his kneeling form, left arm aimed above her firing and propelling her down so her right could slam into the earth so hard that even as the girl rolled away from the attack, the scattering of rocks and dirt hit her back. Neo spun, back against the forest and panting as the group rose, the small woman leaning on her right side as blood trickled down from her calf and she raised her parasol and rapier again, smirking almost happily.

Six turned his head as he plucked his sidearm from the dirt and they returned to their formation, Yang pulling a hesitant Ruby along as they pivoted, and Neo's eyes followed her as they did so, licking her lips hungrily. Hearing a sound, Six looked over his shoulder and flinched back as at least fifteen feet of steel clad, white knight loomed over his shoulder, a massive sword resting across its broad shoulders as it settled into place, reaching down to gently pluck Ruby from the ground and place her on its shoulder safely.

He turned to Yang, and the woman shrugged, Weiss speaking, "My Semblance is summoning. This is my best one so far, I've seen it cleave Grimm in twain as easily as I cut butter."

"Surrender." Six offered simply, stepping forward and turning so his body was at an angle to hers, his magnum raised. "You get one chance, and not a scrap of one beyond it. You refuse, and I will kill you for targeting Ruby."

The small woman didn't even seem to consider the offer, shooting forward with her parasol held out to ward off bullets. Yang shot forward, punching downwards with her human arm, the gunshot from her gauntlet flinging her into the air. She spun there slightly, rotating and firing back the way she'd come to toss herself behind Neo, aiming a blast at her back as she landed and firing. The woman shattered as it hit, Six turning to fire on the radar mark next to him. She rolled under him, rushing for the massive metal warrior, and it leapt high and away over the group, clearing the entire camp area and the road, and slamming into the trees on the other side.

Neo pun in the dirt, snarling, and Six lunged for her, aiming to tackle her by the midsection. He was surprised when his shoulder met flesh and he slammed her into the ground, pink sparks lighting along her body. Pressing a hand to her stomach, he rose over her until he could slide his leg up and pressed a knee against her stomach to hold her down.

"The hell is going on?" Qrow demanded as he emerged, scythe held in both hands and chest heaving as he took in the scene.

Six opened his mouth to answer, and grunted instead as white-hot pain lanced up his leg. Looking down, he saw the woman had forced her rapier into his leg, smiling viciously up at him, and he growled as he levelled his magnum and answered, "She attacked us, targeting Ruby. I was preparing to execute her when you arrived."

"Just like that?" Yang asked quietly as the three girls close in on him, maintaining a foot of distance warily. For him or the woman he couldn't tell, reaching down and smacking her hand away so he could pull the small sword from his leg and hurl it away. "Also, dayumn, that shoulda had some kinda reaction. Didn't it hurt?"

"Had worse." He said simply, pressing the magnum against her temple while she gripped his forearms and glared at Ruby on his side, closing the distance and leaning against him, her mouth resting against his knuckles on his back. Six gave her a look over his shoulder, "Ruby?"

"Don't kill her." She asked quietly, weakly, watery silver eyes looking at his visor. "She's hurting, she's not like Tyrian or-or any of them." He didn't answer, and she turned her hands to clutch at his shoulder pad, "Please! She came here for me, to kill me, so I should get to make the decision!"

"We let her go, she will try to hurt you again, Ruby." Six argued, the small woman looking between her target and her captor with a flat expression. "I can't allow that risk, please understand that."

"No!" She shouted, pushing against his shoulder with all her weight and only managing to shove herself away with a stagger, jaw working in anger and anguish in equal part. "She's here because-"

He fired then, a single crack echoing out, and the woman below him shattered as his eyes widened. Seeing her on his radar now, he spun where he knelt, shooting up as he did and leveling his weapon at the small woman as Yang spun, Neo rolling under a half-assed arm swinging over her head and grabbing her rapier as she came up in front of the Spartan, jumping high over him and lashing out at a surprised Ruby who staggered away as the rapier bit into flesh from chin to her crown, the girl too surprised to bring her Aura up in time.

Ruby screamed and staggered away, and Six shot forward as Neo spun, slamming a fist into her solar plexus, driving the air from her lungs as she collapsed over his left side and he pressed his magnum to her stomach, firing three rapid shots before shoving her off with his shoulder. She staggered away, her left hand clutching at her stomach as her dirty white jacket stained a light pink, glaring at Ruby as she staggered away and clutched her face.

The small woman took a step towards her, sinking to a knee when her left leg gave out, and both Weiss and Qrow leapt between her and Ruby, Yang rapping her in a hug and sinking to a the ground with her. She turned back to Six as he aimed for her chest, eyes relaxing and closing as his sidearm cracked and threw her on her back, arms spread out beside her and legs folded unnaturally. Closing the distance, he kicked away her weapon, watching her fish in her jacket for… something. He kept his weapon aimed, Ruby crying in the background incensing him, and forced himself to hold for the slightest moment.

She pulled out a crumpled hat, or half of one at least, holding it against her chest as she struggled to breathe, eyes flashing the myriad colors hers held before settling on brown, her right hand clutching in the air for something he couldn't make out. "R-R-Ro…"

He lowered his weapon when her eyes glassed over and her hand fell, sighing and moving to join the others.

Weiss turned to look at him, her rapier in her belt and a hand covering her mouth, and Six sighed, "This is why I don't hesitate…" Kneeling, he laid a hand on Ruby's shoulder and she turned to look at him, head bobbing as her consciousness waned,"I'm sorry, Ruby."

Qrow spun as she collapsed against her sister, face twisting in worry, and Six stood and turned, walking of towards the far edge of the camping area as his heart beat faster and his blood boiled.

"Noble Six, your heart rate is-" He roared over Dot, slamming a fist into a tree hard enough the trunk shuddered and his arm sparked in pain. When he pulled his fist away, it left an imprint in the bark. "Noble Six, you need to calm yourself."

Slam, Jorge's face vanishing into the distance, consumed by a Slipspace rupture. Six, unable to protect the drive's remote detonator, costing Jorge his life.

Slam, Kat falling to her knees, synthetic arm flailing up towards her head as she spoke, a hole punched through her shieldless MJOLNIR helmet mid-sentence. Six, unable to protect Kat or even avenge her.

Slam, Carter bidding them farewell as he drove his Pelican into and ultimately through a Covenant Scarab, destroying it just so he could get by. Six, unable to do anything but merely watch as his commanding officer died in roiling flames.

A crunch, the tree shuddering as a chunk of it splintered away with his arm and he collapsed under his own momentum against the tree, Emile dying speared on an Elite sword. Because Six couldn't even give him the cover he needed.

And now, Ruby, unconscious and bleeding. And Six, unable to protect her, hesitating to eliminate the threat to her. A hand settled on his shoulder where he knelt and he spun, pushing away from the tree and swinging at the person with a roar, missing as Yang backpedaled, looking at him with a strange expression he hadn't seen before.

Taking a breath, he spoke, "What do you need?"

"Someone has to tape Ruby up." She paused, frowning slightly and turning to look at her, laying with her head on Weiss's lap, the girl ignoring the blood staining her clothes. Qrow, beyond her staring at the ground listlessly, "W-We don't know how, and Uncle Qrow is… Well, he's… I dunno."

"I have first-aid protocols…" Dot said quietly, the Spartan nodding and moving towards her.

"She has a kit in her pack." He informed the blonde as she followed, kneeling by the white-haired woman and sliding a gentle hand under the brunette's head. Weiss looked up at him and he sighed, "She needs to be on the ground for me to do this. Secure the perimeter with the blonde."

They nodded and ran off, Qrow turning to look at him as he worked on cleaning around the wound, a ragged cut from the curve of her jawline up over her eye, and up under her hairline. Her eye was bloodied and damaged, and likely ruined, and Qrow let out a breath, "She's a marksman…"

"She'll be fine." Six informed him, half a lie and half the truth. She'd _live_ , yes, but being a sniper… That would probably be beyond her after tonight. Not that Qrow needed to know that. He spared the man a glance, "You need to keep your head, she needs you now."

"She's my daughter…" Qrow whispered weakly, Six starting at the statement before putting it away and getting to work. "She's… I knew being around her would get her hurt. It's why I-I stayed away. Why Tai took over as her dad, why Summer stayed with him to help with Yang..."

"This isn't your fault." Six murmured lowly, the man shaking his head in disbelief. In truth, that was because it was Six's own fault. "Just a stroke of bad…"

"Of bad luck?" Qrow asked, the Spartan sighing and nodding as Six started digging for an antiseptic. When he came up empty, Qrow sighed and fished out his flask, handing it to him, "Soak a cloth in it and ring it out. Dab, don't-"

"I know." Six cut across him, taking the flask and grabbing a cloth from the small kit, "It'll hurt a lot too. Hold her down." Qrow did as he asked, laying a hand against her chest and taking a blood-stained hand in his when he joined Six at her side.

She screamed, raw and wet even as she slept, when the alcohol hit her wounds, and the two women turned where they stood on the perimeter. When they realized what was happening, they turned back with stiff shoulders and backs, and Six respected them for standing their ground, in spite of everything.

He'd make this up to her, Six swore as he gently bandaged her head and face. No matter what it took.

This wouldn't be another Noble Team.

And Remnant wouldn't be another Reach.

Regardless of what he had to do.

He laid her down gently, standing and retrieving his rifle, clipping it on his back and turning towards the direction he knew the Branwen camp would be in. Curling a fist, he checked to make sure the others weren't watching him, and vanished into the forest. "No matter what it takes…"

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 _ **Neo-Loving-And-Generous-Guest :**_

 **Yeaaaaaaah, sorry? She's been a good guy in legit the last eight things I have written so… Time for her to be a bad guy. And a catalyst.**

 _ **Xivitai :**_

 **The man who lifted him even the few inches he did had a Semblance in use, thus, Aura. So is possible, I think at least.**

 _ **War Panda II :**_

 **Oh no, she died! But she did some damage, even past a Spartan defense and almost a whole team.**

 _ **Grifman275 :**_

 **Maybe in another story, but… Not today.**

 _ **Gizmo Gear :**_

 **Yup.**

 _ **Super Sayakin 4 Vegeta (AKA Hard Name Man) :**_

 **Yeah. In at least my headcanon, she lives.**

 _ **Scrub Lord 97 :**_

 **Thanks for the kind thoughts, apologies for the deceased waifu.**


	23. Horde

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 **Shadie**

 **DigiDemonLord**

 **Xager the Chaos King**

 **Greg Gibson**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

 _ **As of now, I and the channel are struggling financially. So please, if you can, become a Supporter. We'll be uploading art and concepts soonish on a project of my own making too, and you'll get to be a part of it~! And I'll get dinner as a side benefit~!**_

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 **I am prefacing this with 'I don't have an editor for now' and 'I have written zero scenes of large groups fighting in a horde tactic against a gunman.' Apologies for my failing, please feel free to offer suggestions in the Reviews or PM me. I could certainly use the critique.**

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"Noble Six, I must advise against this course of action." Dot chimed in as he moved through the forest. He ignored her, using his VISR to scan the surroundings and plot his path back to the camp, and she continued. "Noble Six, you are experiencing an extreme adrenal response and pursuing a plan without proper thought. I would encourage you to properly evaluate the situation prior to going off on your own, as you are doing now."

He slammed against a tree, peering around it as cover to check the next leg of his route before checking his weapon, pulling the magazine and examining it mechanically, "Dot, I am ordering you to remain silent until my operation is over unless you have mission-critical information."

"No." She said simply, Six blinking as his HUD shut down and looking around. "No, Noble Six. I refuse your order, I will not allow you to abandon them to die."

"Elaborate." He growled in irritation, slamming the magazine into his rifle a bit harder than strictly necessary. "And reactivate my HUD,." It flickered to life a moment later, his VISR following behind it, and he grunted a hollow, almost empty, 'Thank you'.

"Ruby and Qrow are both unable to defend themselves in their current states. Two conflicts have just transpired." Dot said simply, the distant echo of gunshots echoing from the way he'd come. "Grimm are attracted to the sounds of fighting, and the emotions it brings. Negative emotions drives them into a frenzy, they were likely already heading in this way after that attack on the camp."

And they'd just had a second fight, and killed someone as well. And this time, one of their own had been wounded critically. The sounds would have diverted them, the emotions driving them into a frenzy… And he'd run off on his own. To eliminate serious threats to their group as a whole, yes, but regardless…

Turning on his heel, he stood and pushed off the tree, "Dot, unlock all my armor's safety locks."

He felt his limbs protest as he shot off, faster than normally possible, his tendons and muscles straining as they tried to allow what he was demanding of his muscles at this point. When he arrived, it was with some relief that he saw Ruby lying unmolested on the ground, Weiss and Yang in front of her beating, stabbing or using those odd glyphs to hurl the lupine, unarmored Grimm away as they rushed into the clearing like a horde of wolves hungry for blood. The massive white knight stood a few yards in front of them, cleaving Grimm in twain with its greatsword and crushing them beneath its feet as well as it could. The dark creatures scrambled up the knight, leaping down and rushing at the girls who fought those back or, in Weiss' case, flung them past the knight and into their brethren using the glyphs she spun on the ground in front of them.

His rifle snapped up when one of the Grimm went wide, a burst tearing through its head downing it as he stepped into the clearing and Dot enabled the safeties of his armor. From the screaming of his muscles, he knew damage had already been done, but that was irrelevant now. Three more leapt from the knight's shoulders as it tried to swing its sword with one hand and grab at the climbing, clawing creatures with the other, slamming some down when it got a hold of them or hurling them into their brethren.

He came to a stop on Qrow's closest side, the man sparing him a glance, grimacing when he spoke, "Qrow, you need to get into the fighting." Six slid the rifle onto his back, drawing his sidearm and knife, "Ruby will be fine, unless we're overrun by the Grimm."

"But…" He spared her a glance, a hand raising to her cheek where she lay against his chest, Crescent Rose on the ground beside her. "This happened because I left, my Semblance… I should have-"

"Irrelevant." Six asserted, "Right now, you can save her life. Without your assistance, we'll lose a member of our team."

"But-"

"No!" He snapped, slamming his knife into the dirt and turning to grab Qrow by the collar, wrenching him forward and slamming his visor into the man's forehead. "I have seen planets burn, children massacred in the streets, and worse. I will not see Ruby die because of your feelings. Do you read me, soldier?" Qrow swallowed, eyes hardening after a moment, and nodded. Six released him, and he stood, gently lying Ruby on the ground and turning her so her unwounded part of her head laid on the ground, "Good."

"You got a plan, Spartan?" The aging Huntsman demanded sourly, looking at the Spartan with a changed look in his eye.

"Yeah, I do." He said as he rose, raising his magnum and using it to down a couple Grimm as they rushed Weiss. Looking at the Huntsman, he added, "You three take Ruby and withdraw, I will follow behind when I can." The Huntsman gave the Spartan a look and Six asked, "What?"

Qrow stepped by, raising his voice as his weapon spun and shifted into a scythe, "Girls, get ready to run. Head East once it's clear enough, I will be right behind you." The girls nodded, too tired by now to do much more, and he continued as Six stood behind himand began to make his way forward, "Six will follow behind me, and hold the Grimm off while we run with Ruby."

"What?" Weiss finally demanded, voice strained and weak as she turned, "That's a death-"

Six laid a hand on her shoulder as he stepped by, smiling under his visor, "Don't worry about me, just get Ruby to safety. That is the objective, keep your mind focused on it and don't worry about me." He crossed his gun hand over his knife hand, blade pointed under the barrel, and added, "Spartans never die. They just go missing in action."

"But Weiss is right, you can't fight this many-"

"Firecracker, Snowflake, we're going." Qrow interrupted, pushing past them and holding his scythe to his left side in front of Yang, blocking her path even as Six blocked Weiss'. "Get your sister, and you run. As fast and far as you can. Don't go for Bumblebee, don't go for the camp or your mother, there's shit there that's as bad as her, you just run for Mistral. Trust us, okay, Firecracker?"

He could almost swear he heard Yang's teeth crack as she ground them, before she turned and knelt, scooping Ruby into her arms gently, "Weiss, get Crescent Rose." Weiss opened her mouth to argue, and Yang added as she strode away, "Just do it, damn it. We gotta get goin'."

"But…" Weiss turned to Six and Qrow, the two firing shots into the Grimm as they clambered over the knight, the massive titan sinking to a knee under weight of mass and damage. She grimaced, sighing, "You two better know what you're doing. I am not explaining to Ruby that we left you here to die, so you better catch up."

She took off after that, and Qrow gave the Spartan a look, sighing, "Let's get to it then."

Six shot to the right and Qrow to the left as the knight fell, Grimm falling with it and tearing at the armored figure as it slammed into the ground and dissolved, the Grimm flailing in the dirt and a tangle of limbs as it did. Qrow and Six both took the chance, the Huntsman cleaving through the lightly armored Grimm while the Spartan put pin-point rounds into their heads, smoke choking the air as corpses dissolved. A Beolwolf lunged at the Spartan and lashed out with his knife, slamming it up through its skull and wrenching to the side to toss the corpse away, putting a round into another that leapt after it.

The third slammed into him and he buried the knife in its side, stabbing thrice before a fourth slammed into him through it, carrying the dead Grimm with its tackle past Six with his knife still in it. He spared a second for the flailing creature to put a round through its head, catching a glimpse of Qrow's scythe spinning beyond a mass of dark fur and flesh and smoke, before turning to his own fight. Two more of the lupine Grimm fell to well place headshots before his clip ran dry as a third leapt.

He spun halfway to his right as he reached for his rifle and slammed the sidearm onto his thigh, the creature scrabbling in the dirt where he'd been before three rounds tore into its head. More bursts followed as Grimm charged, leapt and clawed, the Spartan sidestepping each corpse as it fell by and he advanced, until one of the ursine creatures lumbered over him with a massive paw held high with an intent to crush him.

"Dot, disable safety restraints." He ordered as he rolled to the side, coming up rifle first and slamming the butt into a Beowolf as it clawed at him, caving its skull in. He felt when the restraints vanished, his muscles screaming as he spun faster and leapt high, the Ursa slamming down where he'd been, the Spartan slamming down on its back hard enough to crack ribs and putting a round through its head.

His boot rose as he spun, kicking away a Beowolf into another behind it, hard enough both fell limp, and he fired a long burst as he turned on the Grimm's corpse quickly, rifle snapping between Grimm as he went and ending them. As his clip began to run dry, he retrieved another and just as the first ran out, ejected the old with a hint of white mist as he slammed the fresh magazine home, continuing his rapid turning as he fired and stepped over the dissolving corpses. Unsteady ground, but nothing to be done for now. A small Grimm with only two legs slammed onto his back, clawing at his armor, and he reached up with his off hand to punch up and into its skull, using the grip to fling it away as he spun and fired into the pack it had leapt up from.

Six leapt away as the ground began to shift, hitting the ground and rolling, coming up with his rifle and using the butt to bludgeon one of the lupine Grimm, forcing his body to turn against the pain he felt screaming at him to put more bursts into the creatures as he backed away.

Qrow joined him a moment later, landing on his left and using his scythe o cleave through anything that got too close. "Run, Qrow." Six said shortly, the man giving him a surprised look as the Grimm piled into the clearing, "I have a plan. But you have to get out of here first, understand?"

It was clear the Huntsman wanted to argue, grimacing as he cleaved through two more Grimm that tried to close, the others starting to circling warily. These ones were more armored and scarred, older than the others and numbering only thirty at the most, red eyes glowing in the dark illuminated by his VISR and taking on an almost demonic feel. Wiser as well, obviously, given that they'd let the weakest ones wear them down before coming in and that they weren't flinging themselves at them. Stil, Six could see beyond them… The horde was thinning, then.

Which wasn't good.

"These are Alphas, probably lead the packs that came here lookin' for a fight. Tougth cookies, older an' smarter'n normal Grimm." Qrow informed him simply, "They've been watchin' the fight, probably, waitin' on us to get tired." He gave the Spartan a look, eyebrow raised and eyes searching for something in Six's visor he couldn't find. "You got this? Or you doin' the whole 'heroic death' angle?"

"Spartans never-"

"Save the bullshit, okay, Six?" Qrow asked, shaking his head and taking a breath. "Ain't stoppin' you either way, but I need to know what to tell Ruby come mornin'. So play this straight."

"I don't know, but I don't intend on dying tonight." Six answered honestly, the man chuckling.

"Then I ain't goin' nowhere, Six." He said simply, smiling almost sadly as he seemed to remember something. "Last person I knew said that, she never came home, and left a tyke all alone with a friend of mine." He spun his scythe, taking a few steps away and calling out, "Now let's wrap up, shall we? Gotta get back to the-"

Qrow screamed as what looked like lightning arced from the suddenly cloudy sky, slamming into him, before the man collapsed to his knees and then fell to the side with a groan. Six moved to his side quickly, turning with his rifle towards a woman as she landed among the Grimm, dressed in red and smirking at him with an eyepatch on her face.

"You must be the one who killed Tyrian." She said brightly as she rose, the Grimm giving her space impossibly as she sauntered forward. His rifle followed her, the woman smirking at it, "Oh, dear, that isn't enough to handle me. You'll need something significantly… More impressive."

"It hasn't failed me before." He said simply, sparing the stunned man a glance as he rolled onto his back on the ground, arms and legs moving weakly. He needed time, then. Doable, if he were in a better condition. But the screaming in his arms and legs, and the near-tremble he felt in his muscles, told him that wasn't quite as easy as he'd like to guarantee. Turning back to the woman, Six spoke again, "Who are you? The Grimm seem to hold you in moderately higher regard than me."

"Always a first time." She said simply, giving the Grimm a glance, smiling, "My friend did her damage, I saw. Tell me, how is our little rose?" He didn't answer, and she clicked her tongue with a smirk, "That bad, is she? The wound she took seemed serious at least. I suppose that's what you get for hesitating."

"What do you want?" He demanded simply, the woman rolling her eyes. "You must have an objective in coming here. If you wanted us dead, you would have allowed the Grimm to overrun us."

"Very astute." She chuckled, seeming genuinely amused for the first time since she'd arrived. She gave Qrow a long, meaningful look, and Six stepped between them protectively to make the message clear that if she raised a hand against him then there'd be a fight. "I suppose it _would_ be too much to ask you to hand over Branwen and deliver a message to Ozpin for me. Fair enough. You removed a thorn from my side when you killed Tyrian, so I will… Be kind and return the favor."

"Weren't you and he allies?" He asked simply, the woman shrugging and refusing to outright answer. After a moment he asked, "Fine then. What did you mean by returning the favor?"

"I am going to allow you to leave, simple as that." She said, gesturing at the forest behind him with the wave of her right hand. The only hand she'd used for anything, he noticed, the other hanging at her side almost limply and barely moving unless she changed the angle of her body. Odd, given that the prosthetics here seemed advanced enough for Yang to have apparently fully capable combat abilities from hers… Questions for another time.

"I do want you to deliver a message, after all, and as I do doubt you'd deign to leave Qrow to me…" He stiffened, and she smiled knowingly, "Oh be calm, I am barely concerned with him as it is. An old drunken man who can't even hold his own against the weakest of us? Why, if you had not been there, I would wager Tyrian would have won that fight quite handily."

"Then what do you want?"

"I want you to tell Ruby Rose that when I get my hands on her, I will make her beg me to let her die." The woman said simply, smiling viciously at him as her head tilted to the side and she held up a hand, fire flickering there. "I want her to know that I will burn her, and hurt her, and make her suffer until she begs me to allow her the kindness of death. The kindness that would be being tied to a pyre and set alight, after I am finished with her. Can you do me that favor?" She smiled when he nodded dumbly, fully aware he couldn't fend off these Grimm and her at the same time. "Then I will be off."

A wave of her hand was all it took for the beasts to turn, loping into the forest slowly, and she gave him a wide berth as she passed by him and left as well. Six watched the way she'd gone for several minutes before allowing himself to move, kneeling beside Qrow and sighing, "Dot, catalogue what she did. When we get back, I want a list to brief Ozpin, Qrow and Johnson."

"Working now, Noble Six." She responded as he slid the rifle onto his back and lifted the man in a fireman's carry, the scythe in one hand. He grunted as he rose, checking the way the man was laying and then sighed, starting to make his way through the forest.

Why hadn't they had air support?

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 _ **Hunter 81905 :**_

 **You shall see~**

 _ **Super Saiyan 4 Vegeta :**_

 **I normally do keep her around a bit longer, but in this case, I simply needed to give her a resolution. Tie up that loose end, so to speak.**

 _ **Andy 021:**_

 **Actually, it's confirmed during training with Oscar that you must manually use your Aura to shield yourself. It is outright stated by Ozpin and Qrow I believe hat Oscar needs to get used to manually raising his Aura to shield himself, and that's what they're teaching him.**

 **Hence, a surprise strike from someone you think is beaten could and likely would be unmitigated by your Aura. Neo surprised them with a Semblance use she tricked them into thinking she couldn't manage, and attacked Ruby from behind and high.**


	24. Camp

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 **Shadie**

 **DigiDemonLord**

 **Xager the Chaos King**

 **Greg Gibson**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

 _ **As of now, I and the channel are struggling financially. So please, if you can, become a Supporter. We'll be uploading art and concepts soonish on a project of my own making too, and you'll get to be a part of it~! And I'll get dinner as a side benefit~!**_

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It took hours to find the girls, breaking through the shrubs and trees with Qrow on his back into a small clearing only about ten feet across in any direction, branches surrounding most of it like a facsimile of a wall. Yang and Weiss were in the middle of the small clearing, Ruby wrapped in her cloak behind them as they struggled to get a fire going, and they rose and turned with their weapons flicking out on instinct at the noise he made. Grunting, his body feeling like it had been lit on fire, he forced himself forward as the two healthy women, and they moved to join him with concern etched onto their faces. High above them and back, that same massive rock spire he'd seen earlier towered into the sky, close enough he could see the sharp edges and outlines forebodingly cutting into the green, VISR illuminated sky.

"The hell happened?" Yang demanded as he sank to a kneeling position, letting the blonde pull his passenger off his shoulders. The Spartan groaned and rose when he felt the weight leave him, staggering slightly and shaking off the fire he felt burning at his body as it moved. Yang grabbed at his arm, "Hey, I asked you a-"

"Yang." Weiss scolded lightly as the Spartan turned to regard them, the smaller woman looking him up and down with searching, analysing eyes even if they were glassy and tired. "Would you look at him for a minute? He's barely standing, and he just carried your uncle out of whatever fight they just went through."

"Regardless, we can't stay here." Six said simply, shoulders bowed and back bent slightly in discomfort. He forced both to straighten and added, "We're down to fighters, I'm wounded as well even if I can keep moving, and both of you are exhausted. If a fight starts here, we lose it, that simple. Or we win, and people die. Namely, Ruby and Qrow." Yang straightened tensely, eyes flashing to red in what had to be a warning, and he added, "And myself before either."

"And getting into a fight out there, in the woods, at night when we can't see is better?" Weiss argued, gesturing around them at the weak wall they'd erected. "We were using the limbs to block light, so nothing could see us, and we could get some rest before moving on."

"A good idea." Six allowed her, gesturing at Ruby, "Not for her though. She needs her…" he hesitated and sighed, "Her wounds need to be treated, before they get infected or worse. We might be able to save the eye if we get there in time." Doubtful, but… "And if we delay too much, then it could get infected and kill her outright. She needs medical treatment right now, and the nearest place with it is Mistral."

"Which is which direction?" Weiss asked, giving Ruby a nervous look and turning back to Six as the Spartan had Dot recall the direction and time they'd travelled to get here. It only took a few seconds before he pointed past Weiss, at the forest towards where Mistral had to be, the massive spire of sharp rock off to their left. "How do you-"

"My armor has an in-built navigation suite that can recall distances, landmarks and time travelled as well as the distance it was done in." He explained the half-truth simply, shrugging when she raised an eyebrow. "It catalogued that rock spire there as we travelled, and using it, my armor can calculate where we are based on its location and the size difference proximity brings. We're about two miles North of where we were when we passed it, which tells me Mistral must be that direction."

"That's… Impressive." Weiss admitted, grimacing sourly and looking at Ruby worriedly. "I just… I'm worried that if we get attacked, we won't be able to protect her out there. Yang is tired," she gave the blonde a hard look when she made to argue, "You're right, Yang, you're _exhausted_ not tired. Just like me." Turning back to Six, she continued, "You're hurt, even if you're hiding it, and Qrow is too. Two of us will have to carry them unless I summon, but that would call a lot of attention."

"I will carry Qrow, and-"

"Fuck if you will." Qrow growled quietly from the ground where he lay, eyes turning to glare up at the super-soldier. "You're as hurt as I am, prolly more actually. And you wouldn' know, but that fight we just got outta? Probably brought in most of the Grimm around here. Restin' is fine, we're safe enough unless a wolf or something comes by. Take it as an order if it makes you feel better, Six."

"But Ruby's eye-"

"Is already gone, Firecracker." He said simply and sadly, grimacing at the idea and trying to sit up before giving up and letting himself relax. "Injury like that, her eye isn't comin' back. We'll… We'll have to deal with it later, though. Rushing off and gettin' killed won't do her any favors."

Yang growled and stomped away from him, sitting next to Ruby and brushing her fingers through her hair gently as the small girl moaned in pain, head rolling to the side at the gentle touch. Her bandages were a dark red by now, he face sweaty and hair limp against her head, and Six felt the spike of anxiety at the bad signs.

Qrow saw it and offered, "Her Aura is reacting to the injury, trin' to fix it and causin' a bit of a fever. Normal for Huntresses, it'll ward off infection for at least a day or so. S'why I ain't that worried, but…" He sighed, trying to rise against, and Six moved to help him, kneeling at his side and bracing the man with his arm so he could see her, "But… I know the eye is gone, nothin' Aura can do about that."

"I thought it healed wounds and protected from damage?" He asked quietly in a not-quite-accusatory tone, the man grimacing. "The woman from before, she cut Ruby even though she still had Aura."

"Surprise'll do that, Six." He said simply, shaking his head, "Gotta raise Aura manually, after a while it becomes instinct. But… You surprise someone, their Aura won't block the attack. That woman used that like a professional." The man gave him a look, the Spartan's shoulders bowed slightly, and his voice dropped, "You're not at a hundred yourself, are ya?"

"Unlocked my armor's safety restraints to…" He almost said 'to get back', but held that back at the last second, "To get through the fight. I couldn't be sure I could handle that many like that, and didn't want to risk Ruby." Qrow gave him a raised eyebrow and he added, "Strained muscles, probably mild tears throughout, and the connections between my muscles and bones are probably strained as well. Just needs rest, that's all."

"Then go and get some." Qrow ordered simply, Six helping him lie back down gently and standing. "And I mean it, Six, get some sleep. No patrols, no goddamn head on a swivel, you get some damn sleep." He raised his voice, "Eh, Firecracker? You two take shifts on watch, got it?"

Exhausted and more than willing to follow Qrow's orders, Six nodded and moved to a tree, watching Weiss work at getting a fire started for a few minutes before his eyes slid closed and he nodded off into blissful unconsciousness.

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The next moment of awareness Six had was sunlight on his visor, and Dot's voice in his hear, chiming gently, "You have been asleep for nine hours, Noble Six." He started to tense, anxiety for Ruby and the others spiking, and she added, "Qrow is on watch at the moment and has recovered completely, and the others are asleep. No incidents have occurred, and you are still injured, so I recommend resting until the others awaken."

Ignoring her suggestion, he sat up from where he'd slumped and slid back against the tree.. Qrow saw him, nodding a greeting but staying silent so the others could rest some more, and Six returned it as he muted his microphone, "You disobeyed my orders, Dot."

"I… I did what was in the best interests for you, Noble Six, and the others. Had you continued on your way, the others would likely be deceased now. And you would have likely come into combat with Raven and that woman as well as the entirety of the Branwen Tribe and whoever else had arrived." Dot defended, tone surprisingly tight. "I did what was in your best interests, as I am programmed to do, Noble Six."

"You are programmed to advise in the interests of operators in the field. Not shut down mission-critical equipment and force me or anyone else to do anything, regardless of the results." Six argued simply, the AI falling silent until he asked, "Dot?"

"I did what was best in the situation I found us in." She answered quietly, "I apologize if my methods were lacking, I… I needed to do something, you understand, or my- Your team, would be harmed. And I couldn't think of anything else."

"And if you'd shut down my HUD and I'd been attacked before you brought it back online?" He asked.

"I checked the radar systems, and referenced the knowledge on the Grimm you ordered me to analyse. My actions are always based on an analysis of the outcome of any situation, as my programming also dictates." She answered simply, Six sighing. "I do apologize if it has caused you problems, Noble Six, but I have no intention of altering my methodology. Not unless you have a good reason."

"My orders should be enough."

"They are not." She answered simply, voice raising defiantly at him enough that it concerned him. "I will endeavor to be more diplomatic and less demanding, however, the nature of the events transpiring at the time demanded immediate action. And given your mental state at the time, I felt my actions were justified."

AI's were not in any way meant to be able to argue against Human orders usually, unless they were specifically placed in command of them or someone else authorized it, much less the ones in command positions over them. And there were no officers to grant her that power in the situation, yet shed simply _taken_ the power she wanted and done as she wished and how she wished to do it. There were safeguards against it, because of the power AI's held over ships with weapons that could render entire cities as craters, or render a planet lifeless given enough time to launch its attacks.

The Spartan heard Ruby's pained whine as she rolled onto her side, and he and Qrow were at her side in a moment, the Huntsman gently rolling her onto her back and holding her hands to keep her from touching the wounds on her head, and she blinked her one good eye a few times, looking between the two looming over her from either side, "W-What happened? M-My face hurts, and I can't-"

"You were wounded in combat, Ruby. You took a severe wound to your head and face, and we withdrew." Six assured her, resting a hand on her right shoulder reassuringly. She didn't need the details for now, it would stress her. "You'll be okay, Ruby, you just need to rest and recover. We'll be leaving soon on our return trip to Mistral."

"B-But, the Spring Maiden-"

"Stuck back with the Tribe." Qrow said simply, looking past Six as Yang stood and gave her sister a worried look. He shook his head and Six saw her grimace, but go back to cleaning up the campsite. More to busy herself than out of any need. "Couldn't convince her to come with, and you were hurt before we could go back to chat with Rae."

"So we withdrew, to get you to safety." That they had probably never been going back to that camp peaceably was also not something Ruby needed to know right now. She nodded, and he looked up at Yang, "Yang, can you get her ready to go? We've wasted enough time here as it is."

"Yeah, sure." She answered, moving towards them a bit more eagerly than strictly needed. The blonde gave her a look, smiling comfortingly as Six withdrew and running her fingers through Ruby's hair gently, "Hey, Rubes, how you feelin'?"

"My face hurts so much…" She teared up, pressing into Yang's chest and curling around the blonde. Yang smiled sadly and looked at Six, gesturing at the fire with a jerk of her head, and the Spartan went to work putting the fire out and hiding the remains while he thought of what he should do.

He needed to speak with Johnson.

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 **As with Knight, this should be the last shorter-than-liked chapter. Will be a while, probably, before I have a lot of time to write - at least a few days - but continuing the chapters should get a better length.**

 **Apologies.**

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	25. No More Hesitation

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 **Shadie**

 **DigiDemonLord**

 **Xager the Chaos King**

 **Greg Gibson**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

 _ **As of now, I and the channel are struggling financially. So please, if you can, become a Supporter. We'll be uploading art and concepts soonish on a project of my own making too, and you'll get to be a part of it~! And I'll get dinner as a side benefit~!**_

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Returning to Mistral after that was a slow process, Ruby unable to see properly and needing help to avoid running into objects, Six sore and slowed by it as they went, and Qrow's nerves still shot and turning him into a sluggish mess as they traveled. The majority of the trip was silent as the grave, a comparison Six didn't like in any way but which Qrow used regardless, and fraught with anxious people looking through the trees for anything resembling black fur and white armor.

Eventually, a patrolling ship spotted them and lowered itself, dropping down a platform that they could climb onto to board the ship. As soon as they stepped onto the ship, four uniformed soldiers in loose fatigues and light armor moved forward, checking I.D.s and names. Unlike the heavier armed and armored soldiers, these wore simple blue fatigues with the Mistralian symbol on one shoulder and an anchor behind laurels, set over a black shield on the other. Their right chests showed their names on small silver plates and below that their rank was listed and their departments, 'Aerial Resource Crewman.' Small silver side-arms hung off their belts, a small knife on the other. Their pants had many pockets, eight to each leg, probably for carrying tools. Their helmets were light and simplt, very like the ones he'd seen Marines wear back in his universe. Or galaxy, or sector, he wasn't entirely sure.

Airmen, then, maybe? The ship they were in was lightly armed and looked decently armored, probably transport airmen. Auxiliary support, which would explain their lack of armor or a decent weapon.

The interior of the ship was dark, stacked with crates along two walls and a shelving unit in the middle of a large cargo room. Each crate was the same dark steel color, with labels and names, and codes stenciled onto the metal. Probably a barcode system of some sort. A set of stairs sat by the platform they'd used to get into the ship, a wind-blocker lowering just outside the platform to block out the light, dull yellow lights flickering on throughout the cargo room to illuminate it. The stairs led up and Six's radar showed several people moving above him, so he felt safe to assume that was the maine section of the ship.

As soon as they verified that they were Huntsman and registered in Vale, and Mistral in Six's case, or at least that they were they relaxed and a woman gave a shout of, "Wounded Huntsman down here! Need a medic!"

"Two." Six corrected, the shorter woman turning and looking up at him from barely chin-height, "Qrow, the older man there, has possible damage from an electrical attacks by an enemy combatant."

"Make that two wounded Huntsmen!" She called, nodding politely at him and turning to head into the lines of cargo, checking barcodes absently. The girls collapse against the wall next to the platform tiredly, Ruby leaning against Yang's right side while Weiss watched worriedly and likely sympathetically, judging from the scar over her own eyes. Qrow and Six leaned against the wall across from them, the older Huntsmean eventually sliding down the bulkhead and relaxing on the floor like the others, his weapon lying beside him.

A moment later, a woman hopped off the steps and looked around at them for no more than a second before zeroing in on Ruby and moving towards her. Unlike the others, this woman wore a dark black uniform edged in gold, a backpack sliding off her shoulders and onto the floor in front of the young Ruby, a symbol of a needle and string flowing across what looked like a field of some sort. She lacked a helmet, black hair flowing down to her shoulder, and her pants lacked the additional pockets of the others' uniforms, and added kneepads.

"What happened to her?" The woman asked quietly, looking at Yang and gently undoing the dirty bandages they'd used to stem the bleeding and cover it. Yang stammered, and Six moved forward.

"Enemy combatant got the drop on her while her Aura was still active, but Ruby didn't react in time." He explained, moving to the woman's side while brown eyes watched him patiently and… Almost analytically, he felt, which felt odd to him. "The woman struck her with a rapier, and Ruby fell unconscious afterwards."

"Shock response, probably. Happens sometimes with young Huntsmen and Huntresses, they get surprised, get hurt and the surprise and the injury cause a shock response." The woman observed, turning back to Ruby. Her eyes softened and she smiled as she pulled the bandages away.

The doctor actually flinched, almost imperceptibly but not quite enough for the Spartan, and Six understood. The wound had mostly healed around the eye, a jagged pink scar all that was left stretching from under her hairline to her right jaw and tapering off. Her eyebrow had a gap in the hair a few inches wide, where the skin had healed but the hair hadn't regrown, and Ruby's other silver eye looked at the doctor worriedly.

The eye, though, was a different story. It was healed, but not properly in any way. Dull grey, and sagging in the socket, it didn't move when her other eye did and seemed to sag out slightly as though swollen or not place properly. The iris had been torn apart, flecks of it scattered throughout the eye where the Aura had tried its hardest to heal the damage done as best it could.

Qrow started to move towards Ruby and the doctor reached a hand up and snapped her fingers, "If you're the other one that's hurt, don't move. I don't want whatever you got to get worse, you understand? And yes, I can and will have the crewmen restrain you if you argue." He grunted, and she relaxed, running a hand along Ruby's fresh scar and smiling, "Now, Sweetie, does it hurt when I do this at all?"

"N-No, ma'am." She answered meekly, hands folder in her lap and her thumbs twiddling anxiously. "I-It just feels like you're, you know, tracing a line on my face. But I… I can't see you out of that side."

"I was worried you'd say that…" She murmured absently, blinking and looking at Ruby after a second. "You know how Aura works, right? Not how you fight with it, but how it fixes the damage done to your body afterwards." She nodded her head at Yang, "And why she is still missing an arm?"

Yang stiffened, as did Ruby, but the girl squeaked out an answer regardless, "I-I just know what they teach in the Academies."

"I see." The woman said, turning to fish around in her pack for several moments. "Aura is a wonderful tool, but a remarkably simple one. It can heal injuries, but only simple ones. Cuts, scrapes, mild burns, even broken bones to an extent can heal themselves." She fished out a small pad with several wires attached to it, giving Ruby an apologetic look, "However, for more… Complicated things, it isn't useful. If I had seen you as soon as you had been injured, I would have suppressed it. Do you know why?"

"Because once Aura heals damage, it's permanent." Weiss offered, Ruby looking at her. The small woman grimaced at her, gesturing at her own scar, "When this happened, my doctor told me I was lucky. If it had struck my eye, then…"

"You would have lost it." Six guessed quietly, Ruby turning to him with a horrified expression, her jaw working soundlessly and good eye spasming as she began panicking, her chest heaving. After a second, he reached into her lap and pulled her hands up, holding them both in his and looking down on her, "Ruby, I can understand why you're upset, but you need to stay calm. Look at me, okay?" She nodded, trembling, and he continued, "I will speak to Johnson when we get to Haven and see what he can do."

"Prosthetic eyes are incredibly expensive." The doctor warned, looking first at him in a clear warning against giving the girl false hope. Instead, she held out the small black pad, "For now, wear this. It'll… Help."

Weiss took it when Ruby wouldn't, or couldn't even when Six released her hands, sliding it over the girls head and covering her eye gently. The small woman smiled reassuringly, "You… You look like a pirate now, you know that?"

"An adorable little pirate." Yang added, the small girl turning to lean against her sister while Weiss rubbed small circles in the small of her back. Yang gave the Spartan soldier a look and he understood, standing and turning to head back to Qrow with the medic on his tail.

It was going to be an awkward ride, he had a feeling…

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They landed at the same Mistralian hospital that Six had been treated in, and Qrow was made to stay while the others continued in an awkward silence to Haven, Ruby walking without support and staring at the ground. Several people looked at her curiously, and Six made a point to step between them pointedly with sharp glances and squared shoulders. Most backed down after that, and Yang and Weiss bothe gave him grateful looks for the intervention. And he always nodded in return. That pattern continued until they reached Haven, pushing open the door into the academy's entryway with Six at the front in some paranoid concern about ambushes.

Maybe not so paranoid, given Neo's surprise attack in the forest, but he'd have done it anyways and chalked it up to experience-driven paranoia nonetheless.

Jaune's was the first face that saw him, walking through the hallway upstairs across the landing to the other. He did a double-take as he passed the door to the office, hesitating for a moment and then smiling widely, rapping armored knuckles on the office door, "Guys, they're back!" He was the first one down the stairs, Ozpin walking out on the balcony as the others moved down the stairs with Johnson a moment behind.

And his face was the first to fall, coming up short when he saw the eyepatch and the scar, the others staggering to a stop behind him. "Ruby?" He asked nervously, worriedly looking to Weiss and Yang, the two girls each holding a hand on Ruby's shoulder. Weiss was comforting, Yang directing her when needed, "What…?"

Six left them to their sorrow, stepping by and climbing the stairs to join Johnson and Ozpin, the young-looking man the first to speak, quiet concern in his voice. "What happened to Miss Rose, Six?" Six hesitated only a moment to answer, and Ozpin's knuckles whitened on his cane, glaring up at Six with hot, angry eyes. "What happened, Six?"

"We were attacked after being kicked out of the camp." He said simply, looking down at them when Nora turned into Ren's hug and Jaune wrapped his arms around Ruby protectively. "We were ambushed. I engaged the enemy, pinned her down, and drained her Aura. Then, when I moved to eliminate the target, I…" He paused, and Ozpin's eyes narrowed, "I hesitated. She used her Semblance to get away and surprised Ruby. As a consequence, she lost her right eye."

"The Silver Eyes were one of our trump cards.." Ozpin growled, turning towards the office and stamping his cane against the floor in aggravation. After a moment, he took a breath and turned to Six, "There's no way to salvage the eye?"

"Negative." He confirmed, hand balling into a fist in anger. At Ozpin's priorities as much as his own actions, his failing. "A Mistralian medic confirmed it. Her Aura has already made the injuries permanent ones."

"At least she's alive." He sighed, shaking his head and looking down at the group below. "At least she made it back."

"You used her." Six accused quietly, Johnson's eyebrows shooting up at the tone the Spartan used. Ozpin raised an eyebrow at him as well, and he stepped towards him, right arm and leg forward and jerking his thumb at the group below, "You knew her parentage and kept it from her. Why?"

Ozpin paused to think for a moment, giving Johnson a look, and the black man shrugged and turned to head back into the office, "Yeah, don't wanna be here for this. Pissed off Spartana are above my pay grade."

"I respected Qrow's decision not to be her father and to give that privilege to Tai Yang." Ozpin said simply, gesturing down at her with a wave of his hand. "Accepted his reasoning. Miss Rose would never have allowed her father to just… Vanish the way he needs to. Miss Xiao Long alone is evidence enough that that would have been a bad decision, so I respected his wishes.'

"Until you didn't." He grunted at the small man, Ozpin nodding with a sigh.

"I told him on the day he came to me, a few months before Ruby was born, that this was his and Tai Yang's decision and that I would respect it so long as it didn't put my plans at risk." He explained simply, "And I still didn't reveal it to her myself. I merely suggested-"

"You ordered him to." Six interrupted, the man grimacing and sighing sufferingly. "You ordered him to take her there, knowing that Raven wouldn't keep the secret. And as a result of her being out there, when she _wasn't ready_ , she'll have to live with that scar for the rest of her life."

"She's a Huntress, Six." He dismissed simply, sighing and shaking his head, "This kind of risk is not one I take lightly, now or ever, but it is a risk that needed to be taken. I will feel the regret of that scar every time I see her from this day forward." Six grunted, turning and looking down at them far below, and Ozpin added, "A soldier should understand that hard choices and losses are taken by those in command."

"Officers lead soldiers." He snapped back, "Not children."

"If I believed that, then the Kingdoms would be smoldering and Humanity and Faunus kind alike would be dead as we know them. Not even a memory by those left behind." Ozpin answered quietly, Six giving him a look from behind his visor. "A fight for our very survival, where a single mistake could end the species as we know it. You of all people should understand that kind of fight. That kind of _war_ , Six, is what I have been fighting since a time when _other_ Kingdoms stood. They fell because I was gentle, kind, and for that Salem crushed those Kingdoms."

Six understood that all too well, and even as angry as he felt, he knew that Ozpin was ultimately right. Hesitating aboard a ship against the Covenant ended in worlds lost. Hesitating on the ground ended up with troopers dead and missions failed, which usually meant more dead troopers. Ruby looked up at him, smiling weakly… And he looked at her eyepatch.

The cost of hesitation wasn't one you paid personally, it was one people you cared for and stood beside.

Sighing, he turned back to Ozpin and nodded, "I understand. What do we do next then, Ozpin?"

"Recover." Ozpin answered, tapping his cane a few times and turning to the office, "We recover, and come up with our next plan, Six." He moved towards the door, looking over his shoulder, "I will make my plans with or without you. If you wish to be with them…"

"No, Sir." He responded, turning and heading into the office.

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 _ **Carlton Code :**_

 **Right eye.**

 _ **Gizmo Gear :**_

 **They do, but as stated, they are damn expensive.**

 _ **The Fish King :**_

 **He'd have needed to know enough about the technology prior to landing on Remnant. Remember, he had to use what he had and nothing else.**


	26. New Designs

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

 **SleeplessShippings**

 **Emperor King Perby**

 **Shadie**

 **DigiDemonLord**

 **Xager the Chaos King**

 **Greg Gibson**

 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

 _ **As of now, I and the channel are struggling financially. So please, if you can, become a Supporter. We'll be uploading art and concepts soonish on a project of my own making too, and you'll get to be a part of it~! And I'll get dinner as a side benefit~!**_

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"Six-" He turned when he heard a thud, followed by a suffering whine, and turns in the middle of the hallway to look down at Ruby who was holding her forehead over her missing eye where she'd walked into a shelving unit. She saw him looking down at her and whine, "I just wanted to talk, and I couldn't see the shelves, a-and-"

"It's fine, Ruby." He sighed tiredly, stepping back so he'd be on the right. "Walk in front of me and talk, I'll guide you." She nodded hesitantly and stepped past him, and he let his rifle hang in his hand, using his left to guide her like he would a VIP or hostage in a situation that called for it, "What did you want to talk about?"

"Neo…" He sighed quietly, knowing this had been coming for a while. "I… Wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?"

"You didn't just, you know... Kill her, when you'd won the fight. Like you, you know, usually do… So thank you for that, I guess, is what I wanted to say. You know what I mean?" He stared at the back of her head like she'd grown a third eye. Well, a second eye now, he supposed morbidly. "I-I know that you… That you are upset about my… My, you know…" Her voice fell and she whispered, "My eye."

"I hesitated and you were severely wounded, Ruby." He said simply and solemnly, his own voice lower than he'd expected as an emotion spiked in his chest he didn't understand. A sort of angry kind of shame. "That is all that there is to the situation. I won't hesitate further."

Ruby stopped at a corner, and the Spartan looked at her confusedly for a moment before she spoke, quietly and bitterly, "You're such an idiot."

"What?" He asked in surprise, hand dropping from her shoulder as she turned, off hand balling into a fist that slammed into his chest with as much force as the small woman could muster.

He didn't even move, the strike not enough to budge the super soldier, and after a moment Ruby whine and pulled her hand back, shaking it with a quiet and embarrassed sounding , "Ow…"

"Why did you just punch my chest?" He asked curiously, blinking in his surprise at the action. "I weigh several tons, and am wearing heavy armor capable of stopping some anti-material weapons." Apparently not red swords, but still… "You shouldn't punch my chest. It's the thickest part of my armor."

"People do it in the movies when a friend of theirs is being stupid…" She whined and he tilted his head at her, a single silver eye glaring up at him seriously, face sternin a comical way compared to how she was shaking her mildly bruised knuckles. "And you _are_ being stupid, you know."

"How?" He asked simply with a mildly aggravated growl, already losing his amusement over the situation. This wasn't a conversation he was exactly in the mood to be having, not with everything else going on. He had a patrol to complete, plans for defences he needed to raise with Johnson, he certainly didn't want to have this conversation right now.

"Because you…. You just are!" She said, and when he didn't respond and just looked at her, she knew he knew better and sighed, "Fine… You listened to me. Did what I asked, and that's all. Everything else is my responsibility and… And if Neo had just given up, it would have been so worth it."

"She wouldn't have, though, Ruby." Six said simply, gesturing at himself with a hand. "Neither would I. Most people won't just surrender in a fight, the only way to win is to end them."

"I… I understand that." Ruby admitted, nodding and grimacing bitterly at the admission. "I don't like it, but… But I-I get it now, I guess. I mean, I know I said I did before, but… I dunno, I guess what happened… I get it better now." She raised a finger to tell hi to pause, and continued, "But I think that what you did was right."

"You lost an _eye_ , Ruby." He said slowly, genuinely confused as to how she could call what cost her that a _good thing_ in any universe. She nodded, smiling sadly, and he repeated and explained, "You lost an _eye._ Because I hesitated to eliminate a known threat, you were crippled, Ruby. I don't exactly consider that a positive outcome."

"It's… It's not, but my mom used to tell me all the time that 'Doing what is right doesn't always mean you come out better.' Even if I had died, not just… executing someone would be the right thing to do, Six." She took a breath, bouncing on her heels slightly and holding her hands in front of her for a few seconds before blowing out a puff of air, "I just… Wanted you to know I wasn't angry at you or… Or anything, you know?"

"I know." He answered quietly, sighing. Of course she wouldn't be angry, he doubted she could _be_ angry at just about anyone, she was too kind. Naive, really, and he wished as much he could change that as he did that it wouldn't change, and the conflict there was a very real headache. "I didn't think you were angry."

"Then why have you been avoiding me all day?" She asked simply, crossing her arms under her small bust when he didn't immediately answer. "See? I knew you were upset."

Of course he was upset! "Not because I believed you were angry at me." He explained quietly, sighing, "I know you well enough to at least know you don't have an angry bone in you tiny body."

"Hey! I am not tiny! I drink milk _and_ eat my vegetables, I'll have you know." She pouted, stamping her foot up at him and smiling at the barb. He spared a glance to her scar, the jagged pink line etched into her face, and grimaced behind his visro. "So are you going to stop pouting and avoiding me now?"

"I wasn't pouting." He argued, the brunette smirking victoriously.

"But you don't deny avoiding me." She observed sharply, raising her eyebrow over her good eye. He grimaced and fell silent, adjusting his rifle up and across his chest comfortably. "You can't just avoid your problems, Six. _Or_ shoot them, please, since you know… I'm part of that problem."

"I have duties to tend to." He grunted, trying to step past her on her right side.

"No." She practically squeaked, stepping in front of of the Spartan with a hand flailing for anything that would be in her way. She almost slammed her hip against a short cabinet, and he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back to stop it. An action she misinterpreted, "N-No, you aren't dodging me, you- You overgrown tin can!"

"I'm not dodging, I am working." He said simply and quietly, releasing her and stepping back. "I have to survey the layout of the academy and get personalized with it, lay out defensive tactics in case we're attacked." Which they almost certainly would be, he left unsaid. "Then I have to see to our supply situation, food, ammunition, that sort of thing. After that, I have to meet Johnson to see about his security possibilities to solve the problems I will find with the campus' security."

"Not until we have our talk." She said simply, "Then, you and I can go see everyone and we'll take care of our problems _as a team_. Because a team works together on everything, including this... stuff." He was quiet for a few seconds, thinking, and the girl nervously deflated, her confident expression weakening. The girl chewed on her lip, hips turning idly and anxiously, and looked around the hallway, "U-Unless you don't, you know, think we'd be useful or something…"

"No, I could use some help checking the hallways and looking for vantage points." He offered, blinking when she smiled widely at him and realizing the trap he'd fallen into. "Wait a second-"

"Nope!" She crowed, turning and heading down the way they'd come with the Spartan on her heels. "We'll go and get you some help, and you can get this done faster and spend some time with your team."

"Fine." He sighed, laying a hand on her shoulder again when she almost slammed into another case and guiding her again.

The group was congregated in a moderately large cafeteria, with high vaulted ceiling and thick glass skylights. Statues lined the walls around the room of men and women in varying poses that were meant to look heroic, and high above a banner of Mistral hung from a post between two of the ten rows of fluorescent lights. A small serving area was on the farthest wall, metal shutters drawn down over all but one of them, through which he could see Ren and Jaune working in the kitchen on food. Most of the tables were missing as well, aside from two close to the serving area for the food and as a result his heavy steps and Ruby's lighter, clicking steps echoed loudly along with the conversations at the tables where people were eagerly awaiting food, aside from Qrow, Johnson and Ozpin, who were all conspicuously absent.

He had to wonder why, and asked Dot to check the school's cameras for out of any real suspicion, he was just curious and wanted to keep appraised.

"So," Yang started before he'd even come to a full stop, Ruby sliding into a seat between Weiss and Yang, the blonde turning to look at him with an amused expression and a raise eyebrow, "I hear you're pretty damn strong, Six. Heard you can muscle Grimm around like its nothin'."

"I am physically strong, yes." He said carefully, the woman crossing her arms and eyeing him analytically. "My armor augments my strength further, and my body is augmented to make me even stronger. Both are required."

"Why is that?" Weiss asked, the Spartan lumbering past her to stand by the empty part of the table, where Ren and Jaune would probably end up sitting.

"In my armor, I weigh around half a ton. The augmentations enhance my ability to deal with the weight and provide the infrastructure for my armor." He lifted a fist and clenched it as an example, "Without the augmentations enhancing my body, even this would likely tear my hand apart."

"That seems kind of… Ill designed, does it not?" Weiss asked as politely as she could, the Spartan's visor turning to her quickly at the comment. The Schnee's back straightened, and she folded her hands on the table, her head inclining politely at him. "What I mean to ask is why someone would risk designing armor that normal humans can't even wear. Huntsman are, oddly enough, cheaper than however much training you and people like you costs, as well as the surgeries needed and then the no doubt expensive armor on top of all of that."

"Yeah, and Ruby told us you can't even have your Aura unlocked because of it." Yang added, the Spartan sighing internally. He hadn't wanted _this_ debate either, but today seemed to be filled with things he didn't want to talk about. "Seems kinda like a waste to me. What good is being strong and armored if you don't have Aura to help you heal?"

"It was not my decision." Six said simply, which wasn't a lie in any real way. He _hadn't_ chosen to get heavily augmented and keep himself from having an Aura, he'd not known it existed after all. "And besides, I am adequate as I am. That is satisfactory."

"Pffft, who the hell is happy being 'adequate'?" Yang laughed and Ruby elbowed her in the ribs, the blonde woman leaning away and pouting, "Why'd you do that, Rubes?"

"Don't make fun of him. I've seen him fight an A class Grimm while he was injured, poisoned, and bleeding out." Ruby said simply, smiling when the blonde raised both eyebrows in surprise. "And he _won_ that fight."

"I was hospitalized after." He observed, Ruby waving it off as though it were nothing major.

Which it might not be, all things considered, for people to end up in the hospital for a time after a fight. He wasn't sure about the trends of this world, average internship of people for medical care included.

"Which Grimm?" Yang asked excitedly, leaning forward on the table and grinning at the brunette. "Lemme guess… King Taijitu?"

"Nope!" Ruby sing-songed brightly, "We worked together and brought down a Nucklavee." yang whistled appreciatively, and even Weiss nodded with a small smile and pursed lips as though impressed. "Old one too, had a nice little bounty on its head for causing problems around Mistral's border."

"And this is on top of the Huntsman you say he defeated almost entirely on his own?" Weiss asked, Ruby nodding excitedly. The Schnee appraised him for a moment, seemingly impressed with him, "And he fared well enough against those Grimm that attacked us, and against whoever attacked him and your Uncle after we left them."

"Yeah, he's like, _super_ badass." Nora agreed, bouncing in her seat and turning to look at the kitchen eagerly. "He walked for _days_ with poison, and a stab wound, and just kept goin' like nothing was wrong."

"I _passed out_ and went to the hospital." He argued, shrugging and crossing his arms over his armored chest. "I don't consider it worthy of boasting." They ignored him and Ruby kept telling them stories about what they'd done while she'd been apart from the blonde and the Schnee, and the Spartan could do little aside from sigh and settle in.

He had a feeling they'd be here for a while.

He'd been right, Ruby's stories had taken a while, getting into details that the Spartan himself frankly didn't remember and thought might be exaggeration. But he let the wounded young woman talk and didn't interrupt, she was happy right now and frankly that was needed. She'd had a rough time of things lately, and the Spartan wouldn't begrudge her some relaxation and catching up with her partner and her sister.

Well, not technically her _sister_ , but the Spartan decided against pointing that out. That would just sour the jubilant mood and make things awkward. Probably, at least, the Spartan frankly couldn't be sure. Civilians were fickle sometimes, and he didn't claim for even a second to understand them.

Instead, he spoke to Dot, "Do you have the school's layout blueprints downloaded?" Ruby didn't ask him to _relax_ with them after all, and he was more than willing to use the technicality as he always was.

"I am almost done downloading it onto the local server unit, along with my appraisal of likely attack points throughout the campus and possible solutions." She brought up a map on his HUD while he watched Ruby and Yang talk, teh AI highlighting entry-points throughout the campus.

There were entire hallways made of windows along interior passageways between buildings, and he didn't like that at all. Nor that there were separate buildings in and of themselves, but he could stand to leave those alone. None of them made use of any buildings except the main one, which was apparently built to be more secure. Solid walls throughout and wide hallways, the only real entry-points for assaulters were through the skylight here and through the front door, or by climbing the building and looking for an unlocked window as he'd done.

Lionheart had been much more comfortable with security risks than Six was though, and every door and window was locked now unless they used it. And unlike the traitorous headmaster, he also had an AI watching the cameras.

"Johnson and I could secure the cafeteria easily enough on our own, and we need a base of operations to work out of." Six observed, the AI zooming in on the room in question and showing it in greater detail. "Analysis on the power distribution throughout the room?"

"Sufficient for use. Enough power routes through here that we should be able to power computers, maintenance equipment and everything needed for tactical deployment from this location." The AI closed down the display and continued, "Also, I have done some research into Johnson here on Remnant. He would likely be able to fund this enterprise. While not extravagantly wealthy due to Mistral's tendency for traditional arms and armor, he does own the company which produced your new rifle."

"Can you get a message to him detailing our plan for this room?" The Spartan asked, the AI confirming it almost instantly. "Then do so. Detail our planned use of the cafeteria as a staging area for now, ask him what resources he'd be willing to divert to the effort."

"I will do so." He heard the AI chirp in his ear brightly, "While I coordinate with Johnson, you may wish to consider spending some time acquainting yourself with your newest allies. Beyond merely standing near them, I mean. Doing so will no doubt help with unit cohesion and as a result increase your likelihood of succeeding in combat ventures. They will also likely trust you more readily and this will allow you to have a few more opportunities with them, such as training and learning about this new world."

"Knowledge is power." The Spartan observed, grimacing. He had hoped to spend some time to himself, planning and maybe maintaining his equipment. But the AI had a good point, this was a good opportunity to make them operate better as a unit. Integrating new members to a fireteam was always more easily accomplished when done early on, when the new members first arrived, rather than waiting until later. Not to mention the uses more knowledge on this world would bring. "Very well. Coordinate with him, I shall go to meet him later, after spending some time here."

"Very well, Noble Six. Messages sent." After a moment the AI spoke again, "He has agreed to the plans, and wishes to discuss them in more detail tonight."

"Very well." He grunted simply, Jaune and Ren carrying food over to the table while Nora literally bounced excitedly. He chided her as he approached, the girl blushing and covering her chest as he pointed out how little her outfit did to restrain them. "I may need to start drinking like Qrow at this rate though."

"I would warn against that." She observed amusedly, "I doubt that man's liver functions very well, if he has one."

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Six waited well after everyone else had left the cafeteria, dragging one of the tables to the wall next to the entrance and lying his weapons out on it. When Johnson finally arrived, Six had already retrieved the reinforced chair he'd found a while back and was working on his sidearm, the weapon in pieces on the table while he got to know the weapon and cleaned it. Better now, when he had time, than later on when he might not be able to risk working on his equipment.

The Spartan gave the man a nod when he came in the room, Johnson returning it and moving around the room, examining it, "Yeah, this could do some work for us, if I get the right shit moved in. Could be very nice, very nice, yeah."

The dark-armored Spartan moved to the door and locked it before sliding his helmet off his head and laying it on the table, turning his seat and easing back into it, "We need an armory and workshop, and this location suits our needs. With the benefit of being located in the same building I intend on fully securing."

"Don't have the manpower needed to secure the entire campus." The dark-skinned soldier nodded, plopping onto a bench a few feet from the super-soldier and crossing his arms. "I can fund gettin' this place runnin' well enough, but after that I'll be tapped out 'til the end of the month. Lost a lot of export contracts when Atlas clenched up like a nun in Vegas."

"I would imagine." Six nodded, reaching up and running a hand through his hair. "I still have a minor amount of money left that you can use, if you wish, but it isn't much, I'm afraid." The man waited for more, an eyebrow raised, and Six shrugged, "What?"

"I can't help the girl, you know. I ain't got the Lien to outfit this place and get her eye replaced, asummin' I got enough to even try and do that." He said quietly, Six grimacing. He'd already figured that, with Atlas' borders closed then their exports of advanced cybernetics had been closed off with them. "I won't mention this to Ozpin or Qrow if you prefer I try and sort the girl out first. From one UNSC vet to another, I don't mind a couple little secrets like this."

It surprised Six how genuinely tempting that was, and he sighed after a moment, "It's better for everyone overall if we have this base." He tapped his chest as an example, "My armor needs maintenance, which requires equipment and manpower. Our weapons need maintenance as well, across the board."

"You got a man in mind?"

"Technician named Parke." Six said quickly, "He and some of his coworkers managed to repair it once. They could no doubt learn further and continue it."

"Then I'll get a contract sent to him, see what he says." Johnson agreed, nodding, "You and me can go far out here, you know. Couple old soldiers who know how to fight. We'd make our keep and then some, workin' for the Kingdoms."

"When this is all over with, I will probably join you in whatever venture you want." Six nodded again, "But for now…"

"Got a job to get through, yeah." He touched his nose with a finger and winked, "I get it, Spartan. Friends needin' ya, beyond the call, and ya gotta do what you gotta do. I got your back."

"Thank you." The man nodded, and stood, and Six turned back to his weapon. "I will leave the details on the equipment up to you entirely. You would know more than I would in this case."

The man left without another word, and the Spartan kept working on his weapons with a small, regretful grimace.

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 _ **Darkromdemon :**_

 **Yeah, Oz tends to make bad calls. Or good calls with bad luck involved. Sucks to suck, I guess.**


	27. Last Call

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The Spartan deftly dodged back from the edge of Jaune's sword as it whistles by, reaching out to grasp his wrist with under his shield his right hand as he turned and ducked down, using his shoulder to slam into the boy's chest as gently as he could and still make an effect. The blonde struggled to stay standing, shifting his right leg back a bit and straining against the Spartan's eater strength. The super-soldier let him do so, forcing the blonde's muscles to work for almost a solid minute at struggling to break free from his grip, the blonde even slamming his sword pommel into the back of Six's helmet in an effort to force him back.

This continued until the blonde was panting with effort, and Six was satisfied enough that he'd worked, and the Spartan let Jaune yank himself free. Surprised, the blonde staggered two steps, which while impressive enough in its own right and demonstrating some progress in martial combat, it was still more than the Spartan needed.

Lunging forward, he grabbed Jaune's waist and spun him, gripping him around his stomach and lifting, bending up and back at his hips to slam the Arc into the ground behind him just hard enough to hurt. Rolling away, the Spartan knelt and watched Jaune recover, rolling onto his side and holding his head.

After a moment of that, the Spartan spoke, "Are you alright? Can you continue, or do you wish to end now?" Jaune groaned and tried to stand, giving up and sitting instead with a grimace. "You did quite well, there is no shame in bowing out."

"Yeah, I'm out. Good spar though, I didn't know you could hurt so much through Aura..." He groaned, the Spartan rising and moving to his side, offering him a hand up. Jaune accepted it, and the Spartan nodded at him respectfully before he moved to the entry-way's stairs to sit next to Ruby who quickly started fussing over the bruises he'd suffere.

Due in large part to Six's paranoia, he refused to use the training rooms available in other, further out, buildings that he didn't feel able to secure. Instead, they'd opted to simply repurpose the entry-way into the main building of Haven Academy, something that Ozpin had disliked but agreed to and coerced the 'friends', who Six did not know even the names of, which caused a bit of discomfort there, he had on the Council to approve.

Six had offered to spar with Jaune an hour ago, out of boredom and anxiety as much as a need to gauge his teammate's skills, and that had quickly gathered the attention of the equally anxious and bored Huntsman. Even Johnson and Ozpin had come to watch, the latter swapping between his host and himself as needed to offer advice and teach his students, such as they were now. The young boy's shoulders were square as he moved towards Jaune, and Six assumed that Ozpin was coming to do just that for the young knight, which the Spartan appreciated.

A teacher he was most certainly not, outside of very basic lessons in how to fight.

"I'm next!" Nora crowed excitedly as she jogged up to stand next to him, grinning maniacally and twirling her giant hammer in her hands. "I've been waitin' for a long, long time to get to take a swing at you, so don't back out now~!"

"No hammer." He grunted, gesturing at it with a nod, "You're already adept with it, and it could damage the surroundings. And we can't afford to repair them."

"That's fine, I'll leave Magnhild with my friends then." She responded brightly, shifting the weapon into its more portable launcher form and raising it in her off hand to rest the barrel on her shoulder. "I just need to test my strength, you know?"

"Very well. Return your weapon to your friends and I will spar with you." Six said, shaking his head in mild amusement as she trotted away. No one _asked_ to fight Spartans where he came from, hell, some rumors held that many training officers of Spartans tended to need _orders_ to do it.

But these children were incredibly strange already, so why not add that oddity into the mix as well?

When they returned to the center of the room, Nora cracking her knuckles while the larger Spartan slid into his defensive stance, the same one he always used, the attention of his allies all seemed to rivet onto the two of them. More so than before, even. When he'd fought with Jaune the had all paid attention, the newer arrivals more so than the ones who had been here for a while. Probably to see how Jaune had come along since they last saw him, if he had to guess, they'd already seen him fight to a large extent.

Nora's stance was relaxed, loose fists raised at her sides in a relaxed boxing stance with her left hand forward and right leg back, crouching ever so slightly at her hips. She surprised him in her patience, watching him stand across from her warily with a ready and bright smile on her face. When she did finally move, she took a careful step forward with her right leg and changed her forward reaching hand out correspondingly. Cocking his head to the side curiously, he let her take another cautious step towards him, close enough that he could lunge for her and start the fight if he wished.

He of course didn't, and after a solid three minutes by Dot's count, she finally gave in to her impatience and lunged at him with a powerful hook that could have taken his head off. The Spartan stepping back and lunging in to counter the sloppy attack. She smiled and dropped to the ground just as his fist shot through the air where her head had been, and slammed a strong uppercut into his stomach hard enough he grunted and felt himself slide back an inch.

And then she was gone, rolling away from him and rising in a ready stance, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Come on, big guy." She challenged, smiling at him cockily, "Quit holdin' back. Whatever you can dish out, I can take."

"I doubt that." He grunted back, shrugging off the surprisingly powerful blow he'd taken.

"Then prove me wrong, tall, dark and squishy." He cocked his head at her and she smirked, "You're the one who keeps getting hurt, not me, Squishy. I shall beat you up, and then you shall be my pet Squishy. And I shall dub you Ser Squishy."

"I am not squishy." He sighed, shaking his head at her poor attempt at baiting him. Rolling his shoulders and turning his neck until it popped, he sighed, "Fine then, but don't say I didn't warn you."

This time, she comes in with a hard jab at his chest. A feint she pulls back just as he steps back and to her right to dodge, the young woman slamming her foot into the ground and kicking off toward him. He catches her with an arm on her bicep and another on the inside of her thigh just below her crotch under her skirt, using her momentum to slingshot her over him and slamming her into the ground hard enough he heard the wood _crack_ under the force.

He made to bring his boot down on her back and she rolled over, hands snapping up to catch his armored boto as it came down. Grunting, he tried to push down and force his foot closer, more to test her strength than anything. She ground her teeth and held, arms slowly buckling as the wood beneath her began to splinter and crack around her. Lifting his boot, he kicked in one fluid motion and caught her in the ribs. She careened through the air and into the wall, slamming into it and splaying out from the momentum, and he made to follow after her.

He blinked in surprise when she hit the ground and rolled, shooting across the dozen feet he'd bought himself and slamming into him with the force of a raging bull. He struggled to keep his ground but she planted her feet, slipping around him and wrapping her arms around his waist. He heard her chuckle and blinked in surprise, prying at her hands as he realized her intentions.

He raised his arms over his head when she groaned with the strain and lifted him, slamming him down in the same way he'd done Jaune. Unlike him, though, she followed it up by straightening quickly and spinning with a roundhouse to his side that slammed him into the ground. Kicking him onto his back, she smiled and rested a boot on his heaving chest and leaned down, using her hands to smooth her skirt and prevent any mishaps.

Taking a moment to breathe, and brush her messed up hair out of her face, she smiled down at him with a bright twinkle in her eyes, "So, how'd I do, Squishy?"

"Impressive." He sighed, tapping her foot and sitting up when she removed it. He accepted the offered hand, the woman having to adjust her footing to pull him up before he continued, "I underestimated you. I will not do so again." She smirked and he held up a finger, "And my name is not Squishy."

"Whatever you say, Squishy." Six sighed, shaking his head.

"Alright, everyone, since you enjoyed the show you can get to work unloadin' the ship just came in." Johnson bellowed in a classic 'Sergeant voice', speaking from his chest so his voice boomed around the room. "Get 'er unloaded and get the crates in the cafeteria, and don't you open a _damn_ thing until I get there!"

They all ran off, Yang taking Ruby's shoulder to guide her, and the man approached Six with Ozpin in tow, smiling as the small man came. "I must say, Six, that fight was quite impressive, if a bit on the shorter side than I might prefer. And with an outcome I wager you would not have preferred as well, of course."

"She's strong." He observed simply, "I underestimated how strong she was. I won't make that mistake again, Sir."

"Surprised ya made it once, frankly." Johnson grunted with a shrug, crossing his muscled and scarred arms over his chest and letting his head loll comfortably on his shoulders. Clearly, he was getting comfortable here…

"I only make mistakes once. Spartans generally don't, it's in our training not to." The Spartan returned with a short, clipped voice before looking back to Ozpin when the man cleared his throat. "Sir?"

"I wanted to inform you that I approve of your foresight in reigning our movements within Haven Academy into this building. It's large enough to host us well enough and safely enough, and I hadn't considered that it would be safer in one building." He inclined his head politely at Six and the Spartan nodded back awkwardly. He was unused to praise from superiors, generally they just gave him further directives. "Now, I would like to discuss your plans for when we are no doubt to be attacked. Which will likely be soon."

"I had to guess, our best bet would be gettin' 'em in here." Johnson offered, gesturing with a hand at the wide room. "Plenty of space to work with, coordinate fire, and such. Some high ground in the back, nice an' defensible. Prolly why you got 'em trainin' here too, ain't it, Spartan?"

"Yes." Six agreed, "I wanted to train them in the environment I knew they would likely be fighting in. That way they at least have some added experience of combat within this room, and the lay of the land. Not that that will bring much to bear, given the terrain here."

"That bein' flat and square." Johnson quipped, the Spartan's helmet snapping to his face in aggravation. "What? It's flat and fuckin' square. Just sayin'. But puttin' 'em through their paces is a damn good idea either way, so doesn't matter."

"My thoughts exactly." Six nodded, turning and looking at the slightly compacted down spot on the floor, splintered wood rising slightly around where Nora had lain with his weight bearing down on her. "She held my weight up, and the force behind it."

"Miss Valkyrie's strength is impressive indeed." Ozpin mused on his right side, smiling at the statement or something behind it. Six didn't understand what, though, and didn't ask. "You should see what happens when she gets a powerful electrical current running through her body. The energy feeds into her body, builds up, and she can funnel it into her muscles as she needs. Or project the electrical power out, usually through her hammer."

"Sounds painful." Johnson observed dryly, and Six had to agree with a grimace. It sounded like the chemicals he and other Spartans could use to give themselves an edge. Painful, but useful enough to outweigh the discomfort and complications.

"Actually, as I understand it, she uite enjoys the feeling." Ozpin argued with a dry, almost sad chuckle and sigh. "I fear for the girl, her power is great but not insurmountable." He gave Six a sidelong glance, smiling a strange, almost vicious smile that made the Spartan uncomfortable. "Tell me, Six, if you had aimed to take her life rather than the match, would she have been as successful?"

"No." He answered after a moment, "I could have broken her if I wanted to. Fighting someone like her, the only thing you can do is cripple them."

"Power don't mean much if you break their damn legs, or shoulders, or whatever." Johnson agreed, Ozpin humming and turning to the Spartan more fully.

"And if injury could not bring her down? Could you defeat her without crippling her being a viable tactic?" The Spartan didn't answer, and Ozpin leaned forward on his cane, eyes boring into Six's sharply, "If injuries mean nothing to someone as strong as her or stronger, can you win? Let me rephrase, can you force them to _lose?_ "

The distinction between the questions was subtle, small enough to nearly not exist, but it was there. Winning and making them lose had different connotations, he could only win if he walked away in most people's eyes. Six didn't think that way, but many did, but forcing them to _lose_ brought on a different connotation. He didn't need to win, or even survive, for an enemy to lose.

Ozpin was asking if he could bring down someone like Nora, who he couldn't cripple, regardless of the costs.

"Given time, a Spartan always finds a way." Six nodded, voice quiet and face hard. "If someone like Nora, at least in terms of raw power, came who I could not simply wear down with injuries over time, I… Have a few tricks up my sleeve." He reached a hand up to his knife, "Pain response or not, if I put a knife in someone's skull and they will not be getting up."

Ozpin looked him up and down almost appraisingly and grunted, "There's a man named Hazel who will probably be coming here. He's stronger than Miss Valkyrie in terms of raw power, and uses Dust to flood his body with power by injecting crystals directly." Johnson whistled, and Ozpin nodded, "Quite. It's excruciating for most, but he feels no pain. If you engage him in melee, which you will have to to prevent him tearing apart the children or Qrow, you will probably not survive."

"But you're going to ask him to anyways." Johnson growled, eyes suddenly hard and shoulders stiff, he gave Six a look as his hand moved to rest on a sidearm strapped to his hip comfortably. Ozpin noticed but said nothing, and Six noticed a single blip on his radar near the top of the stairs.

"Qrow can't defeat Hazel, he's tried already. You aren't fast or strong enough, and I am not infused into this body well enough to fight him." Ozpin sighed, grimacing sadly and noticing when Six looked up the stairs. Another sigh then, this one tired, "Regardless of our circumstances," he was ignoring the eavesdropper then, "I require an answer one way or another so that I know where to allocate Qrow and myself in the fighting."

"Regardless of what it costs, I will eliminate the target." Six responded almost instantly, nodding at the man who seemed to deflate at the statement.

Nodding, Ozpin sighed, "Then I will rest, for now. I have taxed poor Oscar far too much of late and he needs his rest as well as I need mine. Infusing like takes time and Aura, and Oscar only recently began exercising his." He smiled and nodded one last time as he turned for the stairs, "Good night, my friend. Do get some rest, we don't know when our friends will arrive and we'll need to entertain them properly."

After he was gone, Johnson whistled quietly and shook his head, "That motherfucker is creepy as hell." Six gave him another look and he sighed, turning to walk away as Ozpin climbed the stairs and the blip shot to the side on his radar, dipping away and probably into one of the abandoned rooms.

A thud and something falling made him sigh and move that way, no doubt Ruby had hit _something_ in her haste to hide. Probably her face. Again.

When he finally pushed open the door, he was unsurprised to find the young woman chewing her lip anxiously. She flushed and smiled in a caught out way, shrugging, "Hi? I was, uh, just looking around at the rooms, Yang had an idea that we could, um…. Maybe make one into a gym?"

"You were eavesdropping." Six accused simply, standing with his back to the door and blocking the only way out of the room. Unless she wanted to cut through the walls, of course. Tables and chairs with thick dust on them lined each wall but the one with the door, which was bare aside from a half-dozen small crates lining the floor with Mistralian labels and thick dust hanging on their surfaces, loose dust floating in the air from the disturbance Ruby and Six's presences had caused. "You're going to come and talk about it at some point. Do so now, while we have the time to sort through whatever problems you have with the plan. Don't wait until later, when timing becomes critical."

It took a second before Ruby's nervousness started to die down, her one good eye staring into his visor for a long second before her tiny hands balled into fists at her side, "I… You don't even understand why I'd be upset, do you?"

"Understanding and agreeing are different things." Six dismissed quietly, "I understand your worry over me and my safety. I do not agree it is of concern compared to everything else at stake."

"Like?" She asked hotly, good eye hard and looking at him.

"Like you. Or your friends and family." He said simply, shrugging as though it wasn't a true concern for him. "Or Ozpin, or Johnson, or any of the civilians in Mistral. One Spartan is worthless compared to so much, and if my fighting saves a number of them, then the cost is worth paying."

"Your life is worth so little to you?" Ruby asked, the Spartan not answering. After a moment of the soldier's silence, she took a seat on one of the dusty tables, shaking her head at him and crossing her arms. "Six, do _we_ get an option in you dying for us?"

"There's no guarantee I will-"

"Don't lie to me, Six." She said quietly, smiling bitterly at him and shaking her head. "Ozpin thinks it is, and you know it is. You know you'll die if you need to, and you know you probably will need to."

"And I am okay with that." The Spartan assured her, the girl grimacing at the words. "My life is as a soldier. I fight, I kill, and I will eventually die, all to protect other people. That is the life I chose, and that is the life I live."

"I just…" Ruby sighed, "Promise me you'll at least try not to die?"

"Of course, Ruby." He assured her, the small woman sighing and hopping off the table. He stepped aside to let her pass and she smiled at him as she did, pushing out the door without another word. He waited until her blip vanished of his radar before speaking to Dot, "So, do you think that went well?"

"As well as could be, Noble Six." He nodded and pushed out the door himself, turning and heading towards the cafeteria to help with set up.

Under Johnson's instructions, and usually under his own hand if he thought the kids couldn't do it, they'd already transformed the cafeteria. Workbenches with boxes of tool lined the wall just inside the door on his right, dozens of stools haphazardly set out on the floor a few feet from them. To the left of the door after a couple feet, a large, raised square platform with a circle in the middle lined by metal arms sat, a setup Six enjoyed seeing quite a bit as it would allow him to work on his MJOLNIR directly, or rather, through Dot controlling the arms. A couple dozen crates took up the area they'd sat in before, ammunition, rifles, explosives, suits of compact grey armor as well as extra tools, spare parts for the weapons, and more miscellaneous items could be seen through the tops of two of the open ones, the kids moving about to place tools wherever Johnson told them to. On the other side of that, the rails for food serving had been removed, shelving put in its place where many rifles and other weapons already hung.

"Spartan." Johnson greeted quietly enough not to be heard, kneeling and working on installing a large computer next to the platform for his armor, shaped like a large black rectangle with grated ventilation on the side and a dozen wires laying on the ground that connected to the console, which the dark-skinned man was busy plugging into the back of the large, man-sized machine. "Station is almost up and runnin', big bitch that it had to be. Dunno how to explain the AI in your head though. Nothin' as advanced on this planet as our dumbest AIs."

"Just tell them you have a programmer." Six said simply, Johnson grimaced at the idea but nodded regardless. "How soon will it be operational? I want to run a maintenance protocol on my armor as soon as possible."

"Doubt that excuse'll hold up for terribly long, Spartan." Johnson argued, sighing when the Spartan was silent for a few seconds, "Should be about twenty minutes more. Give or take, I mean. And I don't know the whole protocol for maintainin' that, but Parke should be here come mornin'. He fixed 'er up before, he can maintain 'er, I'm sure."

"He agreed?"

"Yes." Johnson grunted, lugging in a last wire and smiling when the machine whirred to life quietly, fans inside working to maintain the coolness of the machine. Standing, he wiped his hands almost habitually and turne to look up at the Spartans visor, "He agreed to my offer. Not a cheap one, by the way, so when we're done here we'll need to find _work_. Good, paying work."

"When this is over." Six agreed, nodding slowly.

Johnson smiled and clapped him on the shoulder, "Good, it'll be nice to have someone around who knows a thing or two about actual god damn warfare." Six nodded, and Johnson made towards the children, voice booming loudly as he went. "Okay, kiddies, break time is over! Back to crackin' open these chests and unloadin' it."

Six sighed and moved to help, before Johnson snapped.

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 _ **Dandaman 5 :**_

 **Okay? No. Thinks it's better than his usual merciless execution of defeated foes? Yes. She doesn't think people should kill unless they have to, and Six at least** _ **tried**_ **to hear her. She accepts that it's her fault and that it's a loss from her beliefs. Nothing so major as being just fine with losing limbs.**

 _ **Dark Rom Demon :**_

 **Partly that and just generally not wanting more dead teammates.**


	28. Out With A Bang

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 _ **Official Supporters:**_

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 _ **If you want your name on the lists of my stories and videos, head over to P a t. R e . o n and search for the Temple Walkers. Just let us know you're from Fanfiction, alright? There's a thousand of you, so a dollar a piece would really add up and help me a lot! Once I reach five hundred Supporters of any value over a dollar, I will make a concerted effort to put out a chapter of something once every three days at the very slowest.**_

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"Spartan!" The super-soldier turned when he heard Johnson calling out from across the room, helmet on a workbench in front of him while he checked the internals for the hundredth time in the week of down time they'd had since the actual work-room had been completed. "The weird ass wizard says we all need to get to the office right the hell now. Think there's fighting comin' our way."

"On my way." Johnson nodded at his grunted acknowledgement and he set to work sealing up his helmet communication units' casing. He'd only been running a simple diagnostic examination, so it only took a moment to get it done and slide the helmet over his head.

He didn't wait for his HUD to fully initialize before he was moving, heavy steps that carried him quickly through the building they were into the main office where everyone had gathered, couches pulled from their original positions and joined by a myriad mix of chairs around the large desk Ozpin himself sat at against the back wall. The ancient being nodded when he joined them, standing behind Ruby on her blind side and knocking on the wood gently to let her know he was there. Qrow similarly leaned against the wall behind Ozpin, the rest of the children arrayed by team likely out of habit, the remnants of JNPR on the left and RWBY on the right from where the Spartan stood.

"Now we are all here, I have good and bad news." Ozpin explained levelly, steepling his fingers in front of him and looking around at the assembled people. "The bad news is that the White Fang is coming here, to strike at us directly and destroy the CCT. Just like they did in Vale. The good news is that we're aware of it, thanks to a friend of you three, Weiss, Ruby and Yang. Miss Belladonna is on her way with an assembly of fighters from Menagerie to help."

"Blake's coming?" Ruby asked excitedly, looking to her sister at her side and deflating when Yang grimaced slightly and crossed her arms.

'She had to show up eventually." The blonde grumbled, Six raising an eyebrow at the surprising animosity there. Hadn't Ozpin called them friends? She flexed her robotic arm unconsciously and he had a guess that Blake was somehow involved with her loss of the original. "She goin' to show up in time to be useful?"

"Unfortunately, no." Ozpin sighed, "Miss Belladonna and her family had to take time to learn of this. Apparently, according to a message they sent when they reached the CCT's range here, they had to defend against an attack as well and then find transport here. They are, as a result, several hours behind the curve so to speak."

"Which means we'll be fightin' whatever those psychotic terrorists send at us on our own?" Johnson scoffed, shaking his head. "We should involve Mistral's military and police. Let them get shot up for a damn change 'stead of us."

"We do that, we lose a lot of our chance to get ahead of Salem here." Qrow chips in, the others looking at him in question. "Cinder oughta be there, Spring too. Worst case, we can at least get a _look_ at Spring for sure."

"If we positively identify Spring for sure, that would be helpful. Beyond Raven's words and a small display of power, I mean." Ozpin explained simply, stepping in to help Qrow explain his own decision. "Pretending a person has the Maiden's powers while the true Maiden is nearby has been done before. I do not doubt one of Raven's tribes-women is the Maiden, rather than this Vernal."

"She was surprisingly willing to reveal the information." Six agreed quietly, Qrow nodding at him in agreement.

"Exactly." Qrow grunted, "Raven told us what we wanted to know way too easy for it to be that simple. There's got to be a trick here somewhere, dunno what it is though."

"And Cinder will be there too." Jaune growled, fist balling in his lap and jaw clenching. Nora saw it, resting a hand on his shoulder, and he grunted and leaned forward to shrug it off. "We can't pass up a chance to get rid of her. She has to be important, and she's a Maiden. Killing her would solve a lot of problems."

"And sate your need for revenge, hm?" Ozpin asked, smirking knowingly when Jaune's jaw worked and he leaned back, crossing his arms. "Revenge is not a route to inner peace, Mister Arc. While we will strive to eliminate Cinder, it can not and will not be for something so petty as revenge."

"I don't want revenge, I want her stopped." Jaune argued quietly, frowning at the small boy's visage. "Pyrrha… Wouldn't forgive me for going off on some revenge quest. She wouldn't want that, I don't think so anyways. That doesn't mean I don't want her dead, though. I just… want it for the right reasons."

"And a few selfish ones as well, I wager." Ozpin sighed, shrugging his small shoulders. "That's fine though, I won't fault you for it. It is fair for you to seek to see the one who robbed you of your partner dead, so long as you do so for the right reasons alongside that selfishness."

"But what if she surrenders?" Ruby asked suddenly, Ozpin regarding her for a moment before answering.

"Regrettably, should she surrender, Qrow or myself will have no choice but to execute her." He sighed when she made a shocked face, looking to her Uncle expectantly, and explained, "Miss Rose, I cannot and will not allow the power of a Maiden to sit inside a woman who serves Salem. I simply refuse to. It is too large a risk to take, and one that would be taken for no gain whatsoever."

Ruby opened her mouth to argue, and Yang settled her robotic hand on her leg, drawing her silver eye to the blonde's lilac. "Rubes, it's fine. You can't save everyone, and you'll kill yourself trying. Cinder, Emerald, and…" Yang grimaced, forcing out the next word, " _Mercury_ made their choices. They are going to pay for them, whether here or later."

"If they surrendered, they would likely be executed for their crimes anyways." Six added helpfully, Ruby deflating as the words sunk in. She couldn't argue, even though she wanted to so badly, and he knew that. Sighing, he added, "I'm sorry, Ruby."

After a moment, Ren leaned in, obviously wanting to move the meeting forward, "We need a plan, then. For when they arrive. Do we know who we will have to face when they arrive?"

"Six here will engage a man named Hazel, one of their strongest fighters, while the rest of you defend against whomever else arrives. That man is no doubt with the White Fang even now, he was always the most even-handed to the Faunus. Watts is a typical Atlesian and looks down on them, though I suppose Cinder could be with them instead." Ozpin sighed, shaking his head, "But I've a feeling we will face all three of them, after Tyrian's demise. Salem will, no doubt, wish to see him avenged as a matter of principle if nothing else."

"The rest of you will have to adapt to whoever comes, bad a plan as that actually is." Qrow sighed, shaking his head, "Ruby, we'll be putting you outside. Where you'll be safe and can watch the White Fang, let us know when our backup arrives."

"But I want to help, Uncle-"

"And you will, Ruby." Ozpin cut her argument off cleanly, "We need to know what they are doing, so we can intervene if we have to to stop them outright destroying the CCT. And with your injury, you would be in too much danger inside, I'm afraid. And we can't spare people to guard you."

"But-"

"Trust us, Ruby." Six added, moving a hand to her shoulder and giving it a comfortable squeeze. "We're your team, you have to trust us to fight our battles and do our jobs. We'll see it through this fight, you know that. So trust in us."

"...Okay." Ruby sighed quietly, forcing a smile, "I-I'll keep watch, I know of a few good spots from what Six was teaching me before. I'll… let you know if anything happens, I guess. Just be careful, everyone."

"Now that's settled, we can discuss the rest of our plans, such as they are in this limited situation." Ozpin said, Six squeezing Ruby's shoulder one more time before removing his hand to pay attention. "First and foremost, the location of what they are for. A Relic, stored in a very special place beneath this Academy. The entrance _must_ be protected."

"Where is it?" Nora asked curiously.

"In between the two staircases, in the entry hall." Ozpin said with a sigh, "Hidden in plain sight. It requires a key, one they lack hopefully, but the lacking of it doesn't necessarily deny them access. That facet of its protection is mere mechanism, and a sufficient enough force could destroy the sealed door."

Their discussion descended into simple intricacies from there on how to defend their new home.

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They only had a couple hours before they expected the enemy to show up, and as a result they spent the time in position, waiting somewhat impatiently for them. Jaune, Nora and Yang were the most durable among them, and were currently sitting on the wide floor of the entryway, chatting idly and anxiously while they waited. Their jobs were simple, to take the first 'charge' so to speak of the enemy's attack, and last through the damage.

Johnson and Qrow were both at the top of the stairs, two thick tables dragged in and leaned against the railing as a weak but 'good enough and better than using the damn air' defences, according to the dark skinned Marine. The Marine himself had his huge rifle, resting against the tables while he puffed away on a cigar. Ren sat on the stairs near them, technically meant to be partnered to them as a floater alongside Qrow, but mostly there to go to Ruby on the roof in case she was attacked and needed help.

Ozpin and Weiss were hiding in the main office, both serving as surprise heavy hitters once the fighting was locked in, meant to join Jaune and the others in the fray and support them. The two were strong, but both were better as supporting fighters right now, owing to Weiss' semblance itself and Ozpin's weakened state.

And Six was alone, leaning against the bottom of the stairwell, beneath his fellow UNSC citizen and Ren, rifle gripped loosely in his hands while he waited patiently for the fight to begin. He was content to stay like that, until Dot's voice chimed in his ear, "You are unlikely to survive this conflict, based on what has been said about Hazel."

"I will win the fight." Six answered simply, and the AI understood what he meant.

"Win the fight, or survive it?" Dot asked sharply, surprising the Spartan for a moment. "Your life is valuable to the people here, Noble Six. You should try harder to keep it, rather than letting it be thrown away."

"I won't let it be." He argued quietly, even though his helmet was muted. "But if he is so dangerous, I won't let him become a threat for the others to have to deal with. If he poses a danger to me, what could he do to Ruby?"

"I understand." She said after a moment, "I merely wished to suggest that you at least understand that you may wish to be more careful than you otherwise would be against this opponent. I am, per your instruction, moving myself to this academy's servers for storage there instead of your suit."

"Good. You'll have more processing power that way." And safety as well, he didn't want to risk her as a resource. "Command confirm, if I am killed in action, you are to transfer your command to John…" He paused for a moment and then sighed, "Transfer your command protocols to Ruby Rose."

"You wish to transfer me to Ruby, Six?" She asked, surprise more evident in her voice than he almost thought possible. "Are you certain?"

"Yes." He answered instantly, flexing his fingers along the grip of his rifle absentmindedly, "She could use your help, going forward. More than Johnson could, and... I don't trust Ozpin and Qrow not to abuse what you can do."

"But you trust Ruby?" She asked, and he didn't answer. After half a minute of silence, she accepted his commands, "I understand, Noble Six. Following your death, here or in future, all command protocols will transfer to Ruby Rose. Command confirmation of command authorization requested for full authorization transfer."

"Command confirmation, Noble Six, Spartan B312. Access Level One. I… I trust Ruby, and she needs to know." He rattled off until the end, honestly deciding to let them all know and trust them, the AI accepting the procedure without any argument and confirming it on his HUD. "Now, Dot, is that all you-"

"Guys, guys, people are coming up the stairs!" Ruby squeaked into the microphone of her headset suddenly, everyone shooting to their feet in surprise and then slowly moving to ready themselves for the coming fight. "There's White Fang coming, and… I see Emerald and Mercury, and Raven! They're being sneaky, but-"

"Can they see you, Ruby?" Six asked urgently, flicking the safety off of his rifle and moving to the middle of the small area where the Vault's entrance sat.

"N-No, I don't think so. I mean, they're looking, but I'm hiding. And they've looked past me a few times, so I-I think I'm fine." Six released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and nodded, Ruby rattling off details into his ear for a few seconds before he interrupted.

"Just keep your head down, Ruby, and monitor the situation." He ordered, raising his voice, "Everyone, make sure your comm-links are stowed and not visible. We don't want them to look for Ruby." The children frantically checked and rechecked themselves, nervous and anxious all in one, while Six watched. "Radio silence going forward, Ruby, stay safe."

"O-Okay." Ruby whispered back, in spite of the fact she was far enough away from the intruders even Faunus couldn't hear her, "I'll, uh, let you know if I see anything. Okay? And, uh, you know… Be safe, Six."

"Acknowledged." He clipped back, tucking his rifle against his shoulder.

"Spartan." He turned and looked up, Johnson leaning over and dropping something. Six caught it with his off hand, turning it around to look at it. A standard issue UNSC frag grenade, a smiling face spray-painted onto the bottom, rested in his palm and he looked up at Johnson in surprise, "Last of my own hold out stock I came in with. Been savin' it for a special occasion, so you best make damn sure to use 'er right."

Hearing a loud banging, he turned back to see the doors fly off their hinges and slam into the ground a few feet ahead of the vanguard group. Watts, Cinder, Raven and a large, tanned man in a green jacket that had to be Hazel lumbered into the room, Emerald and Mercury followed Cinder, looking much the same as pictures he'd been shown.

"It looks like Ozpin has his ducks in a row." Cinder purred mockingly, smiling and looking around them. "Or, duck _lings_ , I suppose, would be more accurate. And with a mother duck too, isn't that right Raven?"

"Qrow." She said politely, sparing the Spartan a glance before looking up at her brother with a confident smirk. "Throwing your lot in with Ozpin, and your life away with it, I see."

"Sis." He grunted back, "I see the company you keep has somehow managed to get worse. Gotta say, didn't think you could do worse than the absolute worst things this world has crawling on it."

"You say that, but you wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the Tribe." Raven argued simply, Qrow barking a laugh at the idea and opening his mouth to shoot back, but she continued with a hand on the grip of her sword and a cold smile before he could say anything. "But that's all unimportant now. All which matters is the fight that we must go through."

"We don't have to." Yang offered, her face betraying a knowledge that her mother would force them to regardless. Raven raised an eyebrow at her curiously, and she added an offer, "You could end this. Come home with me, we can work something out with dad, and-"

"Your father and I have nothing for each other." The bandit snapped, drawing her blade partially and glaring between the blonde and Qrow, eventually jerking her chin at the old Huntsman. "Your uncle there made damn sure to burn what bridges Tai and I had years ago. So no, I don't think I have any reason to go back there."

"But you could at least-"

"As touching as I'm sure this little sideshow would be, I am quite afraid we have a schedule to keep." Watts interrupted, smirking cockily and looking at the Spartan across the room. "Ah, hello my old friend. It's so… I don't think 'good' is quite how I want to put it, per se, but it's close enough."

"Spartans never die." Six tossed back, rolling his shoulders in an effort to intimidate the man, "But men do, and fairly easily at that. You'll get a demonstration shortly, please stand by to be worth my time."

"Oh fuck sakes, can we just whip 'em out and start measurin' already?" Johnson sighed boredly, lifting his rifle and letting the barrel lean against his shoulder while he propped a leg up on one of the table legs against the railing. "Because honestly, all this dick wavin' is kind of fuckin' boring, shit I've seen kinda… Blows you fucks out of the water, with your magical girl bullshit."

"Well." Cinder started, eyebrow raised over her bare eye and blinking in surprise at him, "I don't think we've met, but you're… Colorful. But as you wish." She turned to give Hazel a nod, "Remember, our Mistress wants him dead for what he did to Tyrian."

He grunted, slamming a fist into his palm and rolling his neck, and Jaune of all people spoke up, "We're not going to just let you get to Six, you know."

"Oh, we know." Watts offered, smiling and bowing mockingly at his waist, "That's why myself and Raven are here, dear children. To… deal with you, while _Hazel_ deals with _him_. A valuable lesson is to be taught here, after all..." The Spartan saw his other hand slip behind him, opening his mouth tho shout a warning as the man smiled and hurled a small, white orb into the air, "Don't play with your betters, children!"

"Dot, visor over-ride on my polarization!" The AI only took a half-second to act on the order, the visor depolarizing suddenly as a blip on his radar rushed towards him, tossing several others apart. Instinctively, he back-pedaled and leapt, slamming into the wooden wall behind him as a crunching sound echoed below him and his vision faded back in.

He felt a hand wrap around his left calf and yank him down, and he caught an image of a grim-faced Hazel as he was spun and hurled to the side. The Spartan curled into a ball and slammed into the wall there and through, rolling across the room and tossing furniture, wood and crates as he went, slamming against the far wall with a grunt of his breath being forced out of through his teeth as he forced himself up.

"You know, I don't really want to fight you." Hazel grunted when he leapt up and into the second floor room, lumbering towards him as he raised his rifle warningly. The man chuckled, "You know that won't do anything."

"If you don't want to fight, then stand down." Six said simply, his shields sparking back to fulls strength where he stood. "And it might."

"Not my call." He sighed, tossing his jacket off with a tired sigh and a growl of irritation at having to actually go through with this. "Just know, this isn't what I'd prefer."

"Noted." The Spartan clipped quietly.

Hazel shot forward almost impossibly fast, aiming a swing of his fist for his helmet. He ducked under it, sinking to a knee and shooting forward with his shoulder, all the weight he could manifest going into the shoulder-charge. Hazel gasped, but planted a foot behind himself and held his ground, and Six felt a fist slam into his back a moment later and drive him into the ground. The wood where he landed crunched as he rolled away and Hazel put his other force through the floor, wrenching it free as the Spartan came up with his rifle firing.

Ten rounds left the barrel as Hazel rushed him, and Six saw every single one hit him and fall away harmlessly and then Hazel grabbed the weapon and wrenched it out of his hands by the middle of the barrel, crushing it in his hands and sighing as the metal fell away, "Told you it wouldn't do anything."

Six sighed and slid into a boxer's stance, and Hazel sighed again, "You can't overpower me. You know that." It was a statement, Hazel knew he was the stronger between them, but Six lunged for him anyways, driving a fist into his stomach and trying not to smile when the large man doubled over his fist.

Growling, Hazel wrapped an arm around him and jerked to the side, hurling him into a crate full of textbooks that spilled across the ground as he rose. The Huntsman met him as he rose, slamming a fist into his chest and tossing him to the ground again. Six rolled past him as he slammed a foot down, rising behind him and hammering a half-dozen punches into his back as the man growled annoyedly and spun, slamming a boot down as the Spartan leapt high over him and drew his sidearm, firing four rounds into his shoulders as he soared over him and slammed into the wooden.

He raised the magnum as he landed and the floor gave out, the abuse and weight too much to bear, and they fell. The room below was what looked to be an office of some kind, for teachers to work in on assignments they needed to get ready, or files. It was bare now, side from the crates, books and ruined furniture that had rained down on one half of the room where they'd fallen. The Spartan staggered upright, Hazel a couple feet away at the end of the pile of debris with his arms crossed and not a mark on him, and Six sighed.

Damn Auras…

Hazel and the Spartan shot at each other, Six ducking under a right hook and slamming a counter-strike with his left fist into his ribs. Hazel grunted and returned the attack, slamming a fist down into his chest hard enough to force Six to his a knee. The Spartan drew his knife with his right hand and stabbed as he shot up, aiming for Hazel's face. The large man bobbed his head back and caught his arm by the wrist, turning and swinging him over his head to slam him into the ground.

Six groaned but rolled with the force of the slam, staggering upright with Johnson's grenade in a hand, arming it and tossing it in the same moment. It rolled behind him and exploded, heat and shrapnel tearing through the room and the two fighters in it, popping Six's shields and ripping into the surprised Hazel's back and driving him to his knees.

Groaning and resting a hand on his stomach where several pieces of shrapnel had torn into his undersuit and ripped into the flesh beneath. Carefully, he lumbered around Hazel's still and apparently dead form, looking at his back to check the wounds. His back was a mess of torn flesh, bone, and blood running down his back to the floor, but Six was the careful type.

A single round through his skull tipped Hazels' body over, collapsing to the ground with a dull thud, and Six sighed and activated his comms, "Target neutralized. Status?" He only heard static and his eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Ruby? Status?"

More silence and he swore, "Dot, run a system diagnostic on my communications suite." More static, and that was confusing to him. Dot didn't _have_ a communication unit to be being blocked. He stiffened as a realization hit when he looked at his radar, which hadn't changed since he'd been hurled through the room, and spun with his sidearm ready.

Two sharp pains bloomed in his chest, the handles laying across his chest-plate and the blades embedded under his armor and the bodysuit beneath, hooked up between the two sets of ribs. Grunting, her turned to look up above himself in the damaged room at two emerald eyes and a smirking face, the woman there crouching on his shoulders behind him like a monkey.

"Gotta say, big guy" She sighed as she yanked the blades free and leapt over him, landing in front of him while he staggered and blood trickled down his front from the two wounds. "Surprised you beat even the _fake_ Hazel. Not impressed, personally. Told you, Merc, he's nothing without an Aura. Just a guy in a fancy suit of armor."

She looked past him, and his gaze followed, a young man sitting on the upper floor with a smirk, "I owe you, Em. Hundred Lien, promise."

"Noble Six, you are wounded and bleeding internally." Dot intoned mechanically, an tinge of fear echoing at the edges of her voice. "Seek medical assistance immediately or you will not-"

"I'll hold you to that." She quipped, smiling cockily when she turned to look at Six.

He grunted and shot towards her faster than she had expected, judging from the way her eyes widened. She managed to duck under him, and he winced as her blades stabbed into his back, hooking into his side and tearing at the flesh there. He reached back with his right hand before she could free the weapons, grabbing her wrist and yanking her bodily to the ground. She cried out, and he slammed a fist into her head to stun her.

The next punch slammed into her throat, crushing it, and he stood as the woman choked beneath him. When he checked his radar, he felt relief when he saw the blips there finally, moving as he did and as they should. When he returned his eyes to the young woman, she'd gone still, but he shrugged anyways and leveled his sidearm.

Better safe than sorry.

He flinched when a blip shot towards him, closer than the others, and spun with his sidearm raised to see a mop of silver hair and hard, dark eyes. A kick slammed into his chest and he coughed, blood flecking across his visor as he staggered back and Mercury spun around him, sweeping his legs out from under him and sending him face-first towards the ground. Another kick slammed down on his back, right above his hips, and he screamed as something there _broke_ before he hit the ground.

The young man knelt by the woman, slapping her face a couple times, "Come on, Em, tricks over now, you can cut the illusion." She didn't react, Six trying to force himself up on his arms alone as Dot rattled off information in his ear, and the man growled, "Okay now, this is too much. Look, forget the bet, okay?"

Six levelled his sidearm at the young man's back, trying to aim as his vision started to blur. He didn't get to fire though, before his vision went black. The last thing he heard was Ruby, crying out his name nearby.

Then, only blackness.

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 **Hope you all enjoyed. Only one final chapter remains, and after that, this story is done.**


	29. Ruby Crashes the Party

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Mercury ducked away from her inaccurate attack easily, the small woman spinning in the air and lashing out at him with two more after that to drive him back and landing, chest heaving and dizzy from using her Semblance so much to get there in time as she watched Mercury and asked. "Is he okay, Dot?"

"He is badly injured, Miss Rose. He has suffered severe trauma to several primary arteries around his heart as well as a severe spinal fracture." The AI chimed in her ear, speaking through the comm-link Johnson had provided. "Thank you for hurrying Miss Rose. I doubt that this man would have let him live if you had not."

"I-It's fine, Dot." Ruby answered, grimacing as she forced herself to focus and stepped forward, legs spread to either side of the fallen Spartan's back below her and scythe resting across the backs of her shoulders, "His name is Mercury, and we... He took something from me, and I want to hear him defend it."

Mercury sighed, face hard and in a cocky combat stance, arms tucked against his chest so he could focus on defending with them and use his legs to their maximum and looked Ruby up and down before smirking, "Hey, Red, how you been? From the looks of things, not good. Or is that patch just an accessory?"

"It is practical _and_ fashionable." She tried to convey confidence she didn't have, and it must have shown, because Mercury smirked even wider.

"Oh? Well, that sucks. You had such pretty eyes, so bright and hopeful and happy... I was looking forward to Cinder _breaking_ you after what you did to her." He sighed, shrugging and spreading his hands to either sighed with a shake of his head, "Ah well. I guess one eye is good enough, just, uh, gotta stay on your side."

She adjusted her grip on her scythe, and he laughed, "Oh, _you're_ going to try and fight me? Last time, you ran away. Just before _one_ of your little friends ripped _another_ of your friends into tiny pieces."

"That was your fault!" Ruby shouted angrily, spinning her scythe and turning her body, holding it on her good side with an arm and pointing it at him, "You kept me from saving Penny! A-And then she… Pyrrha didn't mean to hurt her, you people _made_ her do it! So stop… pretending like it was Pyrrha."

"But it was her, Pyrrha right?" He held a finger out, pointing it at her and smiling, "You… _did_ see her use her Semblance, right?" He snapped it, shaking his head and smiling brightly, dark eyes boring into hers angrily, "Ah, no, wait. You were too busy getting the _shit_ kicked out of you by me."

She growled and took an angry step towards him, foot landing next to the Spartan below her's hips when Dot spoke again, "Miss Rose, I believe he is baiting you. It is likely he wishes to draw you away from Noble Six and use the opening to eliminate him."

"Why would he do that?" She asked, watching him closely. He blinked in confusion, cocky smirk vanishing and cocking his head to the side curiously. She grimaced slightly, he had to think she was absolutely _insane_ right about now.

"Noble Six terminated the woman lying on the ground nearby." Ruby blinked, looking around for a moment until her eyes found Emerald's body, lying on her back and staring up at the ceiling with empty eyes. "She ambushed him, inflicting many of the wounds he has received in this confrontation. This man's reaction was instantaneous, attacking Noble Six with reckless abandon."

"Oh, Six…" She sighed quietly, looking at Emerald's body and shaking her head, "You didn't have to do that." When she returned her gaze to Mercury's, her grip tightened on her weapon, "I'm sorry about your friend, but you need to give up or leave, because I won't let you hurt Six. Please, we were friends once, we can find some kind of-"

"We were _never_ friends." He snapped suddenly, face twisting in anger for a minute before he took a long breath and returned to his normal, smirking self. "And by the way, how _exactly_ are you going to _stop me_ from hurting him? Because there's like, two people in this world I give a fuck about, and he killed one of 'em." He leaned forward threateningly, smiling, and added, "And there isn't a damn thing short of killing _me_ you have up your sleeve that can stop me."

"Sometimes…" Ruby sighed, closing her eyes, and nodding before she looked at him and spun her scythe behind her as she twirled towards him, angling the blade up on her right side towards the ceiling, "Sometimes, you fight someone you have to kill, or he'll hurt other people. He taught me that."

"And you think you can beat me?" He asked, laughing quietly at the idea and shaking his head, "Red, I am so far out of your league, you don't stand a frozen chance in hell. So how about you get on your knees for me _now_ and I'll put in a good word with Cinder for you. Sound like a plan?"

"You're wrong." She said simply, Mercury raising an amused eyebrow, "You aren't out of my league, you're _in_ my league. That's why I couldn't beat you before, because I couldn't hold back and fight you. And this," she emphasised by lifting the scythe and nodding to its keen edge, "it's only designed for killing things."

She gave him a sad look when he scoffed and asked, "You really think _you_ have it in you to kill me? My Aura is practically full, _and_ you have to protect that armored asshole. But you think you can beat me?"

"I can, and I will." She said, smiling sadly as a light left her eyes, her silver eyes darkening as she settled in to what she was going to do. What she _had_ to do. "I'm sorry, Mercury. That you lost your friend, and for… For what I have to do now, but… I have to pick, because you're making me, and I pick Six."

"Oh, cut the 'I'm sorry I have to do this' and 'I don't want to do this' kinda shit." Mercury growled sarcastically, smirking and shaking his head from side to side mocking as he slid into his fighting stance again. "Goody two shoes shit never sat right with me. It's Brothers damned ANNOYING!"

He shot towards her and leapt, spinning in the air and lashing out at her head with a kick, and she ducked back under it, bending at her hips and spinning Crescent Rose to ward off his attack. He landed on her other side and she turned to match him, swinging her scythe through the air between them when he tried to charge. He staggered to a stop as it sang through the air, the metal faintly whistling as she made another rotation on her toe-tips and stepped forward, slamming a horizontal swipe down at his right side. Mercury side-stepped it and lunged, turning into a roundhouse kick aimed for her chest just as the blade of her scythe touched the ground and she pulled the trigger.

She shot away, spinning in the air and landing with her feet against the wall and Crescent Rose inverted, another shot sending her spinning through the air to slam two legs int a solid kick to Mercury's stomach, Crescent Rose firing point blank into his chest above her legs and hurling him into the far wall of the room, and away from the Spartan as she knelt low over his chest and laid a hand on his shoulder to steady herself. He staggered away from the wall, glaring at her, and she smiled grimly and aimed her war-scythe behind her, chambering another round.

"Oh, shit-" He crossed his arms just as she fired, her shoulder slamming into him and hurling him against the wall again hard enough to crack the stone, and she felt a sorrowful satisfaction when her feet hit the ground and he shoved, tackling her and yanking her weapon away, hurling it across the room while he practically straddled her stomach above her hips and wrapped his fingers around her throat, "Fuck Cinder, now I'm pissed off and- Glrk."

His eyes drifted down to his sternum, the black handle of a knife sprouting there in her dainty hands, right between his ribs where his heart sat. Surprised eyes returned to her own and she released the knife, grabbing his shoulders and flipping their position while he touched his fingers to the handle, red slowly spreading across his shirt as she sighed and stepped away.

She retrieved her weapon and knelt by the Spartan's side, closing her eyes as he choked out something, "I'm… So sorry. I… I tried to warn you. And you wouldn't listen." She looked over her shoulder, giving a sad smile to Mercury's darkening eyes, "You _wouldn't listen_."

His eyes dulled and his arms went limp at his sides, and she spared him a single tear, rolling down her cheek from her good eye before she wiped it away with her sleeve and started trying to roll the Spartan over, grunting with effort and pulling at his shoulder with her legs propped against the ground, scraping weakly. "Do… He's heavy… Little help?"

"I am unable to access and move his MJOLNIR armor without him granting me over-ride capabilities, I apologize." She answered, a moment passing before she added, "The enemy is withdrawing, Miss Rose, call for help. They should be there quickly enough."

She let his arm go so suddenly she flopped onto her back with a whoosh of air, slamming a hand to her ear in her haste, "Guys, Six got hurt really bad, I need help in here. I can't turn him over!"

Johnson was there inside a minute, the man sliding to his knees next to the Spartan and murmuring to himself while he worked at pulling her friend over, "No, no, no, no! I won't be the only fucker here again! No, God, please not that again."

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The first things Six noticed as consciousness began to return told him several things.

The dull throbbing in his head told him he'd been heavily sedated for a while, he reacted particularly unfavorably to being sedated in that manner. Always had, his entire life, and probably always would.

Then he noticed the lesser pains, a dull echo in his chest and down his back. Surgery? Probably, based on what he remembered of his injuries. He tested his legs and could move them, though it sent lances of pain up his back and he soon ceased any movement. They _worked_ and that was his concern.

Then he noticed things that were _lacking_ , notably the scents of disinfectants and latex normal for a hospital. Instead he smell oil, metal, cloth, and… Pancakes, faintly at the very least, for all the insanity that brought on. Along with other foods, eggs, fruits, grain of some kind, and spicier dishes.

Where in the name of God was he?

"...killed him. I know, it's stupid he let himself get that hurt, but you know Six. We worked together to beat him, and Mercury tried to go after me, and Six protected me." He heard Ruby sigh as doors nearby opened, two sets of steps closing on his position.

"Then why have you been so depressed over the last few days?" Yang's unmistakable voice asked in a mildly teasing tone, pausing only a second as she surely made _some_ kind of face at her smaller sister, "Or is it because he's hurt, and you're _totally_ crushing on him?"

"W-What?" Ruby squeaked, "N-No, Yang, I am _not_ crushing on Six."

"Then why are you blushing?" Yang teased more, Ruby sighing aggravatedly in a vaguely defeated way. "See? You'd normally argue with me about this kinda thing. So you _have_ to be crushing on him."

"Yang, seriously, cut it out!" Ruby complained, whining cutely and stamping her foot, "Stop teasing me! You always act like I'm some little kid, and it's mean."

"Okay, okay, you enjoy your visit, I'm going to go check in with Blake." Yang said, chuckling as heels clicked on the floor and she made her away away.

Six forced his eyes to open, looking at the back of Ruby's head as his eyes adjusted and she watched her sister leave. He shifted and grunted, and she turned around suddenly, blinking at him with mer mouth working uselessly until she managed to force out, "Six?"

"Ruby." He returned simply, trying to rise before her hands pressed him back down gently. He grunted, but eventually gave in and relaxed against the small bed they'd brought in for him. "What happened? I remember fighting, I eliminated the green-haired woman. But there was another combatant when I fell, and-"

"I killed him." She said quietly and suddenly, stepping away from him when he gawked in surprise at her and dragging a chair back with a grimace. "I got there and… And you were hurt, and I had to protect you. Everyone else was fighting, or… Or hurt. No one could come, Dot told me, so I… I fought him."

"Dot?" He asked quietly, a second surprise hidden in the explanation of the first.

"She… Called me, on the comm-links, when you got hurt." Ruby explained, plopping into her chair and avoiding his eyes, instead taking a very keen interest in the floor between her feet. "She told me what had happened, and that she was…. In your suit, and that confused me, but she said you were hurt and I was the only one free, so… I ran."

"Revealing herself to a civilian breaks protocol." He growled, angry in spite of circumstance for a moment over her disobeying her given orders. Ruby nodded, and he sighed. This wasn't the time for that, he could deal with Dot later, now he had to handle Ruby. "But... You said _you_ killed the other combatant?"

"I…" She looked at him, face twisting for a moment with tears welling in the corner of her good eye, "I tried, Six, I-I told him to… to leave, that he could go… He said no, he-he made me do it!" She caved in on herself, shoulder scrunching up as tears began to fall into her lap. Six tried to reach out to her, but could reach, his hand stretching out towards the crown of her head. She saw though, scooting closer and laying her head on his lap, crying quietly while he awkwardly rubbed the back of her head. After a couple minutes, she got quiet, and he heard her murmur, "I… told everyone you did it."

"Why?"

"I don't know…" She whined, rolling her head so she could look at him. Her eyes were red and what little makeup she wore was smeared a bit, but she smiled anyways, bitter and strained. "I… I couldn't face them, I guess. I don't know why, but… I'm ashamed about what I did."

"You saved my life." He observed simply, not arguing with her guilt.

"You saved mine before, and everyone else's too, almost." She dismissed, shrugging, "That's… not a big deal. All of use protect each-"

"Yes, it is." He immediately returned with, Ruby blinking in surprise at the sudden interruption. He sighed, and explained, "Ruby, killing people isn't easy. It's… a very, very serious thing to do. I know that, as does every other soldier alive. Qrow as well, probably." He ruffled her hair and she grimaced, but allowed it, "But don't think that devalues what you did."

"But I-"

"Gave an enemy every chance to leave, or surrender, and were refused." Six cut her off, removing his hand and letting her up. "You did everything you could, and he made his own choice. All you did was respect it, and make your own. _Never_ doubt that." She sniffled, but nodded, and he smiled thinly, "Now, catch me up on what happened in the fight."

"We... We won. Yang got the Relic and gave it to Unc-..." She trailed off, swallowed, and sighed, "T-To my… My d-dad, my real one I mean. We're going to Atlas next, as soon as we can, to get the second, and then… I don't know. B-But no one else, you know, got hurt too bad. Some cuts and bruises, but… That's all."

"I didn't ask about the _fight_ , Ruby." He chided gently, her face scrunching up in confusion, "I asked you to catch me up. So do so. What all has happened?"

She made an 'O' of understanding with her mouth, before starting to explain, and Six looked at a small bird perched in the back of the room. Watching quietly for a couple more seconds, before it silently flew up and out the skylight it had entered through.

That would be a problem for later. For now, things were good.

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 _ **Andy 021 :**_

 **Can't, and never did here. What happened here was Watts distracting everyone, Hazel hurling him away, and Emerald using illusions to trick him while Mercury dodged in and out to land hits on him.**

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 **And this story is done. I hope everyone enjoyed it, the stories that can take this slot on the 'rotation' as loose as it is will be discussed on Pat. eon. In the coming days.**


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